PRESS RELEASE

29 JULY 2015
(Onion Lake Cree Territory) Onion Lake Cree Nation rejects Conservative Indian Affairs Minister
Valcourts statements regarding the litigation on the First Nations Transparency Act (C27).
Onion Lake will be in Federal Court in Saskatoon on the 19th and 20th of August. These issues
before the Court involve Treaty Rights and Constitutional Issues said Philip Chief spokesperson
for Onion Lake Chief and Council.
Onion Lake position has been very clear from the beginning. This legislation was drafted and
pushed through parliament without any attempt to consult or accommodate the Nations. There were
numerous calls by Members of Parliament, Senators, the Canadian Bar Association, the Assembly
of First Nations, the Confederacy of Treaty Six and many others. These calls for constitutional
respect for the Treaty Peoples were ignored while the Conservatives pushed through this illconceived legislation.
Our Audit is available to our citizens. This is our private and confidential information. Our Audits
have never been rejected by the Department of Indian Affairs. added Philip Chief.
Our audits for many years have included a schedule for the Chief and Council salaries and
expenses have been known to the Federal Government for many years. It is part of the requirements
of the Contribution Agreements and is required by our auditors following the Indian Affairs
Reporting Handbook. This Handbook is amended unilaterally on a yearly basis by the Department
of Indian Affairs. The government in the last two years have added essential and non-essential to the
classification of the monies this is the governments attempt to force compliance.
Treaty Peoples are the most accountable and responsible Peoples in Canada in regards to money.
We provide more reports in the standing committee when this legislation was being discussed
there was a reference to more than 600 reports on a yearly basis. The Minister is playing politics
with our Peoples. It is shameful concluded Mr. Chief.

For more information: please contact Associate Director of Operations - Philip Chief at (306)3444200 ext. 2510 or via email: philip.chief@onionlake.ca