Carney, Poilievre address caucuses ahead of Parliament's return
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Winnipeg Free Press
5 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Carney, Kinew rev up economic engines, drown out Indigenous, environmental concerns
Opinion It's one of the great trade-offs in politics: invest in something that has ambiguous public support on the promise that it will lead to significant economic growth. You can see it at work all over Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney is in full trade-off mode, having passed Bill C-5 to fast-track infrastructure projects of 'national interest' in an effort to jump-start the economy, Trump-proof it from the whims of our tariff-obsessed neighbours to the immediate south, advance the interests of Indigenous peoples and promote 'clean growth.' Prime Minister Mark Carney (The Canadian Press files) It's a pledge that Canadians support, in general. However, when you start looking at the individual projects under consideration, you quickly see that it is unlikely he will be able to accomplish all the bill promises. Carney has not yet decided exactly which projects to fast-track, but under serious consideration are the extraction of critical mineral deposits in northern Ontario's famed Ring of Fire and a second pipeline from the Alberta oilsands to the West Coast. A majority of Canadians support the construction of additional natural gas pipelines but are less certain about those that transport oil. And, in an age of violent climate events driven by carbon emissions, there are parallel concerns about making that the focus of Carney's efforts. The public is even more conflicted about promises to fast-track critical mineral extraction in the Ring of Fire. A recent public opinion survey commissioned by the National Ethic Press and Media Council of Canada found the public is evenly split on whether to fast track projects in the James Bay Lowlands region. The poll found that the public is OK with bypassing local government bylaws and even some environmental regulations, but two-thirds said they cannot be expedited against the wishes of Indigenous people. What has the prime minister said about all this potential opposition to his plans? After promising during the last federal election campaign to 'build big, build bold,' Carney has said only that his government will make the projects as 'clean' as possible, and will consult with Indigenous peoples. However, he has steadfastly argued the projects to be fast-tracked under C-5 will be 'the core of our domestic response' to trade threats from the Trump administration. The bill, Carney has maintained, is Canada's response to a growing economic crisis. 'If you don't think we're in a crisis, go to Sault Ste. Marie,' he told the House of Commons when C-5 passed in early July. 'Go to Hamilton. Go to Windsor. Go to any lumber or forestry project. There's more coming.' The trade-off here is pretty clear to see: in exchange for economic growth and security, the prime minister is asking Canadians to stow their concerns about the impacts on the climate, the broader environment and Indigenous rights. And make no mistake about it, despite heightening opposition — particularly from Indigenous leaders in northern Ontario — Carney will be able to proceed on fast-tracking projects with little or no political opposition. A similar trade-off is unfolding in Manitoba, where Premier Wab Kinew is promoting plans for a trade corridor to the Port of Churchill that could include a petroleum pipeline. It's a proposal that has already landed itself on the short list for Carney's fast-tracking plans. Kinew has heard plenty from environmentalists and Indigenous leaders about their concern for this plan, particularly the suggestion it could include a pipeline. Although Kinew has said little about the politics of building oil and gas pipelines against a backdrop of worsening climate events, he has expressed confidence 'there's a way that we can do that while maintaining our leading status as being a climate-friendly jurisdiction.' Kinew has a similarly optimistic but vague position — essentially the same posture that Carney is using — when it comes to confronting the grievances of affected First Nations. Both leaders are operating on the belief that right now, with an existential economic threat lurking in Washington, Canadians will ultimately support government investment in growing the economy, even if it compromises principles on issues such as climate change and Indigenous rights. It should be noted that they are not wrong about the potential for economic growth from these projects. The so-called 'mega-project' infrastructure investments undertaken by government do pay dividends in terms of increased GDP. That is generally true, whether it's building new highways, dams, pipelines or fast-tracking a mining development. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. It's even true in the context of Carney's pledge to double Canada's annual defence spending to placate the Trump administration. Canadians may not like why he did it, but as Industry Minister Melanie Joly said this week, it's going to be a huge boost to GDP. 'History has shown us that when you're able to have defence and the private sector really work together, you're able to spear up innovation, make sure that your country is peaceful and, ultimately, create jobs,' she told the Globe and Mail. We should remember that there is, to date, no example of Kinew or Carney approving projects above the objections of Indigenous people, or significant segments of the population at large. But they have promised us that we can have our environmental, Indigenous and economic cake, and eat it, too. And that very much remains to be seen. Dan LettColumnist Dan Lett is a columnist for the Free Press, providing opinion and commentary on politics in Winnipeg and beyond. Born and raised in Toronto, Dan joined the Free Press in 1986. Read more about Dan. Dan's columns are built on facts and reactions, but offer his personal views through arguments and analysis. The Free Press' editing team reviews Dan's columns before they are posted online or published in print — part of the our tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
6 minutes ago
- CBC
Northern Ontario First Nations group releases report to challenge Métis claims to the region
A new report commissioned by the Wabun Tribal Council says there is no historical evidence of Métis communities on their territory — a direct challenge to the Métis Nation of Ontario's claims to the region and part of the council's effort to build a legal case against those claims. The report was commissioned by the council, which represents six First Nations in northern Ontario, about a year ago and examines documents from 1794 to 1906 to determine if a Métis community existed on the territory claimed by Wabun nations anytime before 1906. Executive Director Jason Batise says its findings support what many First Nations in the region have said for years. "There are no Métis communities, no historic Métis communities, or otherwise in the traditional lands of the Wabun First Nation communities," Batise said. The Wabun Tribal Council represents Matachewan, Brunswick House, Chapleau Ojibwe, Flying Post, Mattagami and Beaverhouse First Nations, whose traditional lands span an area roughly between Chapleau, Kirkland Lake and Timmins. The Métis, a distinct Indigenous people with a shared culture, traditions and language, emerged in the late 1700s in what is now western Canada. Their communities outside this area, including in Ontario, are contentious. An ongoing debate Roughly six years ago, the Metis Nation of Ontario and the provincial government announced the identification of historic Métis communities. One of those communities is the Abitibi Inland Historic Métis Community, located primarily within Wabun territory and the council's main source of frustration. According to Ontario and MNO, this Métis community developed among a scattered series of interconnected trading posts between Moose Factory on the James Bay coast in the north and the Temiskaming region in the south. Batise argues the new report challenges Métis community claims, stating that mixed Indigenous ancestry alone does not constitute a legitimate Indigenous community. To be recognized under the Constitution, the Supreme Court requires clear evidence of historic occupancy and a distinct community structure, which the Wabun report claims is absent, arguing the "tiny and shifting fur trade posts, scattered hundreds of kilometres apart could not have formed a "distinct Métis community." In a statement to CBC News, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada said "the Supreme Court of Canada affirmed that Métis have an inherent right to self-government." In February 2023, the Government of Canada and the Metis Nation of Ontario signed a Métis Government Recognition and Self Government Implementation Agreement, recognizing the Métis Nation of Ontario as the Indigenous government for communities within Ontario. "We need to respect the First Nation rights holders," Batise said. "If Ontario and Canada want to do business in our territories, they should only be talking to the First Nations." He said it's troubling that the provincial and federal governments continue to recognize Section 35 rights — a constitutional act that recognizes and affirms existing treaty rights — for what he called "non-existent communities." Métis Nation of Ontario rejects report The rejecting of the basic facts of history to support Métis denialism in Ontario needs to end, said Jacques Picotte, Métis Nation of Ontario Regional Councillor for the Abitibi Inland Historic Métis Community. In a statement to CBC News, Picotte points to the period leading up to the signing of Treaty 9 in 1906, where Métis in the Abitibi Inland region petitioned to be recognized as a distinct group and to be provided Métis Scrip, similar to what communities in western Canada were provided. "These half-breed petitions from the Abitibi Inland region, like those signed by half-breeds at Penetanguishene, Sault Ste. Marie and elsewhere in Ontario, were ignored by the Crown," Picotte said in his statement. Notably, government officials in the early 20th Century repeatedly recognized the injustice "half-breeds" in Ontario faced." The First Nations that make up Wabun Council are signatories to Treaty 9 and Picotte believes to honour that agreement, which states signatories "will maintain peace between each other and between themselves and other tribes of Indians… whether Indians, half-breeds or whites," Wabun council needs to sit down and talk with the Métis. "'If treaties are sacred and solemn documents signed by Indigenous peoples and the Crown, which the MNO acknowledges they are, why are some First Nations choosing to ignore some of the words in their treaties as well as parts of the history that led to the making of their treaties in Ontario?" asked Picotte in his statement. He said the leadership of Wabun First Nations have already spent over $250,000 on a previous report on the same topic. "After spending all of that money and after years of attempting to discredit the MNO, nothing has changed. The facts of history will not change because a new 'expert' has been paid to peddle the same Métis denialism," Picotte said. In 2021, the Métis National Council –– comprised of the Ontario nation, the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, the Otipemisiwak Métis Government and the Métis Nation British Columbia — commissioned an expert panel whose mandate was to investigate the seven historic Métis communities in northern Ontario. According to MNO's website, "the final report unambiguously confirms generations of shared culture, kinship, and political alliances between Métis communities in Ontario and those further west." A broader legal and political dispute The Ontario government is required to consult with Indigenous peoples when it comes to mining and forestry and other developments on their territory, which includes Métis communities in northern Ontario – something the Wabun Tribal Council has opposed. As for the Métis Nation of Ontario, it maintains it has a right to be consulted is based on its historic and ongoing presence in the province and that all Indigenous peoples should be respected equally. The new report, Batise said, will form part of a broader legal challenge against both the provincial and federal governments, "on the existence of MNO's claims of historic Métis communities in our area." "We're being careful," Batise said. "We want to have our research tidy and concise when we finally launch our claim." Picotte said despite the new report, the negotiated agreements between Canada and the Métis of Ontario remain in place. "Métis communities in Ontario — and the MNO as a federally recognized Métis government — aren't going anywhere," he said.
35 minutes ago
After 2 days of trade talks, premiers tackle crime, bail reform and health care
After two days of strategizing on how to respond to the trade war U.S. President Donald Trump is waging on Canada, the premiers sat down Wednesday to discuss violent crime, drug trafficking and health care. They're calling on the federal government to make good on its promise to introduce legislation in the fall sitting of Parliament that will make it harder for repeat violent offenders to get bail. The provinces have moved in every aspect that we feel we can, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said on his way into Wednesday's morning meeting. The significant change that will have significant consequences for the people that are bringing these poisonous drugs into our communities is a change to the Criminal Code of Canada. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Canadians are just fed up seeing repeat violent offenders or car thieves granted bail and urged the federal government to consider using the U.S. sentencing regime as inspiration for what to do in Canada. We can't release people the next day after they kick people's doors in, put guns to people's heads, terrorize the neighbourhood, terrorize families, Ford said. Ontario's premier insisted part of the problem is weak-kneed judges and the only way to address that is by imposing mandatory minimum sentences. New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt told reporters at the summit in Huntsville, Ont., that Canada's premiers have discussed bail reform in depth and they are all on the same page. We need to have the flexibility at the provincial level to be tough on the people who are hard on Canadians, she said. That flexibility, she said, includes provinces being able to put their own limits on sentencing and bail. Health-care funding During the election campaign, Prime Minister Mark Carney proposed changes to the bail system that would require repeat offenders, charged with crimes like home invasions, violent car theft or human trafficking, to prove they deserve bail before it is awarded. Right now, prosecutors have to prove that denying someone bail is justified. Carney also pledged to toughen sentencing guidelines to allow for consecutive sentences for violent car theft, car theft involving criminal gangs and serious and violent offences. The premiers say they also want a boost to federal health transfers and the flexibility to address health-care delivery in a way that is tailored to the needs of each province. Ford said the previous federal government shortchanged the provinces, and that Ontario needs more money to train and hire doctors and nurses. I'd like to sit down with the rest of the premiers and come up with a figure that would sustain us for the next little while, Ford said. Moe said the health-care needs of Canadians differ greatly from region to region, and funding has to reflect that. We certainly think that they should respond to the population's needs, Holt said. Right now it's a flat per-capita model but in New Brunswick we have a population that is older and that is sicker than the rest of Canada. Ford said he has no problem taking care of the smaller provinces, but he said he's looking for a funding model that is more fair. Peter Zimonjic (new window) · CBC News · Senior writer Peter Zimonjic is a senior writer for CBC News who reports for digital, radio and television. He has worked as a reporter and columnist in London, England, for the Telegraph, Times and Daily Mail, and in Canada for the Ottawa Citizen, Torstar and Sun Media. He is the author of Into The Darkness: An Account of 7/7, published by Vintage.
