First Nations University – Jacqueline Ottmann

Faculty at the First Nations University of Canada (FNU) say they aren’t prepared to follow the board of governors’ instructions to keep quiet in the wake of damning revelations from an independent investigation into the institution’s president Jacqueline Ottmann.

Deloitte Legal, an affiliate of accounting firm Deloitte LLP, investigated 2 dozen allegations. Their findings included that Ottmann engaged in nepotism and “empire building,” violated financial policies and disregarded oversight and control systems. Ottmann fired the key whistleblower, Jason Wong, the university’s VP of finance and administration, while Deloitte was finalizing the report in mid-2023. The firm found that his dismissal violated several university policies and “was at least in part, retaliatory.”

Some on the FNU board, like Allan Adam, the board’s vice-chair, voted to fire Ottmann. But the majority, made up of First Nations chiefs, refused to do so. The First Nations University has a history of political interference. FNU was established in 1976 as Saskatchewan Indian Federated College. It is Canada’s only national First Nations-owned university, with campuses in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert. While the institution is funded by the federal and provincial governments, it was established through an agreement between the disgraced Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) and the University of Regina. Deloitte found Ottmann hired a first cousin and a distant cousin to roles at the university without declaring her conflict of interest. Investigators found she hired close friends and colleagues like Gord Hunchak, whom she brought on as VP of university relations in March 2022.

The FNU in its 2021-22 annual report, VP academic Bob Kayseas, from left, president Jacqueline Ottmann, VP university relations Gord Hunchak and VP finance and administration Jason Wong.

Ottman “bypassed the Board and the VP Hiring Policy in order to create a new VP UR position and directly appoint G. Hunchak to that role without an open job competition.” The salary should have been between $119k and $179k. Ottman gifted Hunchuk a salary package totalling $190k annually. Indigenous Services Canada provides FNU with up to $7m a year. It is running a $2m deficit.