A first nations activist who claimed a court ruling for financial transparency is being hailed as a victory for band members across the country by the MP for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo.
Official Opposition Critic for Indigenous Affairs, MP, Cathy McLeod congratulated Charmaine Stick of the Onion Creek Lake Nation in Saskatchewan.
The Queen’s Bench for Saskatchewan had ruled Friday that Stick’s band had 30 days to comply with the rules set out in the First Nations Financial Transparency Act which compels bands to publicly share the salaries and expenses for chief and council, as well as audited financial statements.
In November 2016, Stick launched a court application to compel her band leadership to be financially accountable to their people.
“This is an important victory for Charmaine and all band members across the country that are asking for the same tools to hold their leadership financially accountable that all other Canadians enjoy,” McLeod said in a news release.
“It is unacceptable that just one month after taking office, the federal Liberal government decided to stop enforcing the First Nations Financial Transparency Act. I will continue to call on the federal government to enforce the Financial Transparency Act so that no other band member has to go to court for access to basic financial information.”