The Onion Lake Cree Nation says it is accountable to its band members, and it has an open and transparent government process.
In a news release, the first nation, which straddles the Alberta Saskatchewan border took great exception to criticism from the Canadian Taxpayers federation that its chief is over paid and that band members do not have access to salary information.
The release says all band members have input into the budgeting process, and all band members have the opportunity to review budgets and endorse the salaries of the chief, councillors and program staff.
The release goes on to say it opposed the federal government’s new reserve transparency legislation because it imposed criteria on native politicians that other levels of government are not subject to.
The release goes on to say rather than target first nations, the taxpayers federation should investigate why it costs taxpayers nearly 900 thousand dollars a year in salaries, benefits and pensions for each member of parliament.