The national organization representing Canada's First Nations chiefs passed a resolution on Tuesday that requires elected band officials to disclose their salaries and other funds to their members.

The Assembly of First Nations adopted the resolution that affirms "transparent and accountable decision-making" and calls on chiefs and councillors to "lead by example" by making audits, public accounts, salaries, honouraria, expenses, and finances available to community members -- but not necessarily to the rest of Canadians and with no legal framework.

Grand Chief Doug Kelly, from Soowahlie First Nation, moved the motion, which was adopted by consensus.

"The purpose of this resolution is to just put it right on the table. The only way I know how to defeat lies, is to

tell the truth," he said. AFN National Chief Shawn Atleo lashed out at critics who have recently publicized exorbitant salary figures.

"Our critics try to brand us as irresponsible. They smear the more than 3,300 chiefs and councillors across the country by exaggerating the pay of a small few through phoney math," Mr. Atleo told an assembled crowd of chiefs, elders and delegates at a meeting in Quebec.

"We will set the standards of transparency and accountability for our people -- not Ottawa bureaucrats," he said.

Mr. Atleo's comments come in the wake of revelations from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, which--using calculations based on figures obtained through Access to Information -- reported dozens of reserve politicians were paid hundreds of thousands in salaries, with 80 earning more than Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

The AFN on Tuesday released its own figures that rebutted the federation's calculations. It said that travel and per diems were included in figures for First Nations leaders but not for other politicians, and it lowered the number of chiefs making more than provincial premiers from CTF's estimated 160 to 21 -- "an extremely small fraction."

The report, called The Straight Goods on First Nations Salaries, also rebuts the number of officials making more than $100,000 in "taxable equivalent" income, lowering the number from 600 to 114.

Kevin Gaudet, the national director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, stood by his previously released figures and said the AFN is "attacking" its own people.

"I wish they'd focus on making the information public and moving forward and improving the welfare of the average aboriginal instead of wasting their time," he said.

"They've been compelled to disclose this information in the past and they've haven't complied with that obligation before. We suspect that the only way this will ever be made public is through a law," he said, adding that the information must be made available online.

Conservative MP Kelly Block introduced a private member's bill in October that proposes the salaries and expenses paid to First Nations chiefs and councillors be publicly disclosed like those of all other elected officials in Canada.

The AFN opposes the bill and says it does nothing to address accountability. Instead, the resolution calls for a First Nations auditor-general or ombudsman-- something Mr. Atleo said the organization has asked for since 2006.

Auditor-General Sheila Fraser, speaking at the national assembly, praised the move to adopt the resolution.

But Ms. Fraser also said First Nations, Ottawa and the provinces have to "rethink their relationship with each other" to improve the quality of life for First Nations.