The Canadian Taxpayers Federation issued its annual "Top 100 Federal Handouts" list and chided 25 First Nations for lacking "transparency and accountability mechanisms."

The 25 First Nations received nearly $1 billion last year, according to the group. They ranked 20th, 38th, 45th, 48th, 50th, 54th-56th, 58th, 59th, 61st-64th, 68th–72nd, 74th-82nd and 100th places on the list.

“Very little of this money is auditable, accountable or spent in a transparent fashion,” the group's executive director said in a press release. “This makes it difficult for taxpayers to know how much value they get for this money.”

The group counted $5.8 billion in "handouts" last year.

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Taxpayer's federation questions mystery money (The Lethbridge Herald 6/24)