The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce has obtained a default judgment for over $136,000 against the Liard First Nation.
CIBC filed the lawsuit back in November 2016, seeking $134,000, plus interest, for debts from a $200,000 line of credit LFN was granted in February 2014.
Yukon Supreme Court granted the bank $1,452 in court costs and $1,559 in interest as of Jan. 9. Interest on the debt accrues at a rate of $15.44 per day.
Court documents indicate the First Nation didn’t file a statement of defence within the required time.
The judgment comes days before a special meeting over the Liard First Nation’s missed election is supposed to take place.
Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada gave $40,000 to the First Nation to organize the meeting.
But the Daylu Dena Council in Lower Post, B.C. is administering the funds. INAC said that’s because, unlike LFN, the Daylu Dena Council is not under third-party management.
There have been suspicions in the community that the Canada Revenue Agency seized LFN’s bank account in 2016 over unpaid taxes.
Now CIBC is in a position to garnish funds LFN has in any bank account.
The First Nation itself has been in a precarious position for the past few years. A federally appointed company delivers core services to LFN citizens, there’s a growing divide between supporters of the current chief, Daniel Morris, and his opponents.
There are also unanswered questions about LFN funds that are unaccounted for.
Contact Pierre Chauvin at pierre.chauvin@yukon-news.com