Residents in First Nations communities have the right to know how the band money is being spent.
That from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, which partnered with Charmaine Stick on a precedent-setting Court of Appeal ruling against Onion Lake Cree Nation.
Originally it was ruled through the Court of Queen’s Bench for Saskatchewan on June 15th of last year that Onion Lake publish its financial documents, but band leaders appealed.
This past Monday, the Court of Appeal unanimously upheld the decision, which is required through federal government legislation called The First Nations Financial Transparency Act.
The Judge stated that Onion Lake has a legal obligation to comply with the Act’s terms.
Even if the First Nation seeks an appeal through the Supreme court, the CTF says it must comply with the court order in the interim, and publish the band’s basic financial documents as the majority of other First Nations have already done.