On eve of summit with chiefs, Ford says First Nations ‘keep coming hat in hand'
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is facing backlash from First Nations leaders after claiming they 'can't just keep coming hat in hand all the time to the government' on the eve of a summit with several chiefs at Queen's Park.
On Thursday, Ford plans to host leaders of the Anishinabek Nation, which represents 39 municipalities in Ontario, to discuss his controversial recent mining law and critical minerals in northern Ontario.
Discussing the upcoming meeting at an unrelated news conference Wednesday, Ford listed a series of funding commitments his government had made to First Nations and said he was 'bending over backwards to take care of them,' adding he has treated them 'like gold.'
The funding Ford listed included the province's $3 billion Indigenous financing program and $70 million in training money.
'Treat them well, give them whatever they want for them to prosper,' Ford said, describing instructions he said he had given to his Indigenous affairs minister.
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'But there's going to be a point where 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.'
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The comments sparked an intense backlash from First Nations leaders.
'Doug Ford alleges that First Nations 'come hat in hand.' We don't. That we have to be 'able to take care of' ourselves. We do,' the Chiefs of Ontario said in a statement.
'It is Indigenous History Month — we should not need to teach elected officials about their own colonial government.'
Ontario NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa, the only Indigenous member of the legislature, called the premier's comments 'offensive and racist' in a statement.
'Today's remarks prove that the premier has a fundamental lack of understanding of Ontario's treaty relationship with First Nations,' he wrote.
'He is trying to create divisions in our province and is taking us back. This premier has made it clear that he won't bring people together, uphold the honour of the crown, and obtain free, prior, and informed consent.'
The comments come as backlash over the government's controversial mining legislation continues.
At the beginning of June, the Progressive Conservatives passed Bill 5 into law. It is mining legislation which gives the government the power to create Special Economic Zones where laws can be sidestepped.
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The new zones, plus the new omnibus law, are something the Ford government says is designed to speed up the construction of large infrastructure projects, particularly mines.
Ford has said the mineral-rich Ring of Fire region in northern Ontario will be declared the first such zone.
The passage of the bill drew fury from labour leaders and environmental advocates. It was the reaction of First Nations groups, however, that the government has paid the most attention to.
They fear the law will threaten their treaty rights and be used to launch mining and other projects without proper consultation. Some have promised blockades and other disruptive protests if the government doesn't change course.
The government has promised to consult on the legislation, but only once it has been passed.
At the news conference on Wednesday, Ford said he wanted First Nations groups to support his mining aspirations.
'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,' he said.
'But we'll help them develop the mines and become very prosperous in their communities, something they've never had, ever in their entire lives.'
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— With files from The Canadian Press
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