Doug Ford accused of ‘racist' comments ahead of meeting with First Nations chiefs

Hamilton Spectator

19-06-2025

Premier Doug Ford is being accused of making 'deeply offensive and racist' remarks about First Nations on the eve of a key meeting with Indigenous chiefs.
Amid controversy about fast-tracked mining projects, Ford is sitting down with dozens of Anishinabek Nation chiefs Thursday at Queen's Park to address their concerns over Bill 5.
But on Wednesday in St. Catharines, his off-the-cuff comments about how the law would help improve economic opportunities for remote First Nations communities sparked a firestorm.
'There's an opportunity of a lifetime for them. We're giving them $3 billion with a B … to be equity partners, to make their communities more prosperous and wealthier and have services they've never had before,' said Ford, adding 'there's going to be a point that you can't just keep coming hat in hand all the time to the government.
'You've got to be able to take care of yourselves — and when you literally have gold mines, nickel mines, every type of critical mineral that the world wants, and you're saying, 'No, no, I don't want to touch that, by the way, give me money.' Not going to happen. It's simple,' he said.
NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa (Kiiwetinoong) said those comments 'prove that the premier has a fundamental lack of understanding of Ontario's treaty relationship with First Nations.'
'The premier's remarks today were deeply offensive and racist. He is trying to create divisions in our province and is taking us back,' said Mamakwa, whose riding near Kenora includes the Ring of Fire mining project that Bill 5 is meant to expedite.
While the '
Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act
,' was
passed last week
, the Progressive Conservatives are
scrambling
to tackle some of its outstanding problems in regulation.
Opponents warn the legislation infringes upon First Nation treaty rights and undermines protections for the environment and endangered species because of new 'special economic zones' designed to rush project approvals.
Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents 49 First Nations in northern Ontario, said Ford's 'remarks are offensive, rooted in racism and colonial violence.'
'We are coming from generations of unresolved treaty rights, stolen lands and broken promises,' Fiddler, an outspoken critic of Bill 5 who won't be at Thursday's confab, wrote on social media.
'Our Nations have taken care of ourselves long before your government existed. You are the one begging for our resources.'
Ford's meeting will take place just steps from an Indigenous encampment protest against his contentious new law in city-run Queen's Park behind the legislature.
The Anishinabek Nation, which represents 39 First Nations across Ontario, also opposed the legislation, noting it 'undermines the principles of lawful consultation, environmental due process, Inherent Rights, Aboriginal Title, and Aboriginal Treaty (protected) Rights — all of which are foundational to a stable and predictable investment environment.'
'While this bill may promise short-term regulatory shortcuts, it will almost certainly result in long-term delays, legal battles, and reputational damage for companies involved,' the group said in a statement two weeks ago.
The New Democrats, Liberals and Greens all voted against Bill 5 last Wednesday.
But the Tories insist the law, which is similar to
the federal Bill C-5 being rammed through by Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals
, is required to get projects approved within in two years instead of 15.
Both Carney and Ford argue the trade war launched against Canada by U.S. President Donald Trump has necessitated the need for speeding up approvals to boost the domestic economy.