Shriek! New audit of Attawapiskat bookkeeping practices shows deficiencies! Bonus pic of Chief Theresa Spence looking guilty!

And all this just before the January 11 meeting with Stephen Harper. How CONvenient.

Now, let’s just catch our collective breath, shall we?

Note that the Deloitte audit covers the period 2005-2011. Thanks to Chelsea Vowel, we should all know by now that there have been annual audits of the Attawapiskat books since 2005, and these are posted online.

Here is the Management Letter from the 2011 audit. Note that it raises serious problems with bookkeeping practices on the reserve. There can be no doubt that there was much to be remedied on this score.

The Deloitte audit says essentially the same thing. This curiously-timed “scoop” is nothing of the kind. It’s old news, which has been easily accessible online for some time.

We have no way of knowing what has been done to improve accounting practices from that day to this. Perhaps we should wait for the 2012 financials and judge for ourselves. But in the meantime, the lede has once again been buried. The PMO gremlins who strategically leaked the Deloitte audit to the credulous media are even now patting each other on the back. And one has to say, in all fairness—well played.