OTTAWA, ON: Charmaine Stick, a First Nations activist from the Onion Lake Cree Nation, is calling on Members of Parliament to ensure that grassroots people in First Nations communities can find out what their leaders are doing with their money. Ms Stick is testifying to the Standing Committee for Indigenous and Northern Affairs at 9:45 a.m. today.

“Anyone in the world can see the prime minister’s salary online, but we can’t find out how much our chief and council pay themselves,” said Ms Stick. “Leadership is based on trust, but how can we trust our leaders when they won’t show and share with us what they’re doing with the band’s money?”

Ms Stick is specifically calling on the government to enforce The First Nations Financial Transparency Act.

Ms Stick has spent years fighting for financial transparency in Onion Lake. She went on a 13-day hunger strike to demand accountability from band leaders in 2014. On Nov. 10, 2016, she partnered with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation to launch a court application to compel her leaders to publish their salaries and expenses as well as basic financial information.

More than 98 per cent of First Nations have published at least some financial information as required by The First Nations Financial Transparency Act, but Onion Lake Cree Nation has consistently refused to provide financial transparency.

The federal government announced it would no longer enforce The First Nations Financial Transparency Act, on Dec. 18, 2015. It promised to develop new and strengthened accountability policies. No new policies have been announced.

“All Canadians have the right to know what their leaders are doing with their money and that includes Charmaine Stick,” said Todd MacKay, Prairie Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “Charmaine is taking a truly courageous stand and MP’s need to stand with Charmaine and grassroots people in First Nations communities across Canada who are demanding transparency.”