CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated that Frog Lake First Nation was being taken to court. In a statement to the Western Standard, Frog Lake First Nation explained that they are not a party to the judicial review.They were "initially named as a respondent," but McCarthy "discontinued the application against Frog Lake First Nation on a with costs basis on October 12, 2023."An updated story follows.Indigenous activist and band member Hans McCarthy has announced that he and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation are taking the federal government to court over an alleged lack of financial transparency in First Nations communities.Between 2013 and 2024, for example, Frog Lake First Nation's trust fund went from $102 million to less than $9 million.During a press conference in Vancouver on Tuesday, CTF Prairies Director Gage Haubrich explained that the trust fund is made up mostly of revenue from natural resource projects in the area."Hans went looking for answers to find out what happened to all this money in the trust fund because all that money could have been used to help his community," Haubrich added. "So Hans partnered with the CTF to file federal access to information requests to try and get a hold of the documents showing how the money was spent ... but the federal government refused to disclose that information.".McCarthy and the CTF will be in federal court on Wednesday to argue their case, and push for "a larger principle that both local First Nations leaders and the federal government have a duty to assist band members when they have questions about how their community's money is being spent."CTF lawyer Devin Drover said the hearing is set to last around three hours, adding that he's "hopeful we'll have the complete discussion within that timeframe without a need for continuation." He estimated that the final decision would be handed down within a month.McCarthy made it clear that this was far from an isolated incident, calling it a "widespread problem.""[Civilians] can't access band funds or have access to financial transparency," he lamented, "so there's a lack of accountability and financial transparency across a majority of the First Nations."McCarthy began looking into the matter in 2022, authorizing the CTF to try and uncover Band Council Resolutions authorizing withdrawals from the trust fund. He also emailed the chief and council requesting a copy of the Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses, in accordance with the First Nations Financial Transparency Act.Over a year later, his questions remained unanswered, prompting him to file the application in question.
