Programme devolution accountability for First Nations: to whom for what?

This paper is concerned with building a descriptive model of the relationship between First Nations bands and the Federal Government of Canada that has emerged as a result of programme devolution. By unpacking and reconstructing the components of the accountability relationship we identify incompatibilities between notions of the relationship espoused by both parties (and others). The model depicts a relationship that contrasts First Nations views of what the accountability relationship should be and the views of the Canadian Government regarding what programme devolution actually is. This model will be useful for understanding the complexity of accountability between the Government of Canada and First Nations and can inform efforts to improve the relationship between them.