Ontario NDP, Liberals successfully stall Bill 5 after filibustering until midnight Thursday
The filibuster has blocked the controversial bill from going into its third and final reading, as the committee process will now continue into next week, Ontario NDP said in a statement on X just after midnight on Thursday.
The MPPs "used every committee tool to delay progress [on] Ford's attempt to rush through this legislation without proper consultation," the statement said.
Bill 5 would create so-called "special economic zones" where the government can exempt companies or projects from complying with provincial laws or regulations. It would also replace the province's endangered species act, replacing it with an new law that critics say waters down protections.
The bill has been criticized by First Nations, environmentalists and legal advocates, who have said the proposed law would gut environmental protections for wildlife and infringe on treaty rights.
Leader of the Official Opposition Marit Stiles participated in Wednesday's filibuster. She addressed Ontario Premier Doug Ford directly in a post on X around 12:20 a.m. Thursday.
"Your government now has the time and opportunity to do the right thing: Scrap Bill 5. Let's go back to the drawing board, and do this right," the post read.
Monday is the earliest the committee process can continue, Liberal MPP Ted Hsu said in a video on X around 1 a.m. Thursday.
A spokesperson for the premier's office did not directly address the filibuster in an email Thursday morning.
"The Premier's and Ministers' comments yesterday stand as response on matter related to Bill 5," spokesperson Hannah Jensen wrote.
WATCH | Ontario First Nations leaders say communities will take a stand if bill passes:
After question period at Queen's Park on Wednesday, Energy and Mining Minister Stephen Lecce said the government brought forward the bill "in good faith" after hearing concerns from Ontarians about delays for mining projects.
He said the government is committing to responsible resource development and policy, while upholding its duty to consult with First Nations under Treaty 9.
"We think we can do both, we think we found that balance but we understand we've got to keep listening," Lecce said on Wednesday.
Speaking at Queen's Park on Wednesday evening, Ontario NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa said the MPPs would debate the 40 clauses in the amendment, line-by-line, during the filibuster.
"We cannot stop the bill, but we can certainly slow down the processes that are there," Mamakwa said.
The government attempted a motion to continue Wednesday's committee meeting until 9 a.m. on Thursday, but that motion failed, a spokesperson for the Ontario NDP said.
During the filibuster, Stiles said the government initially scheduled the committee to sit until 12 a.m. Thursday, which she said "is bad enough," before attempting to extend it into the morning.
"While the rest of us are in agreement that we should move this committee to daytime hours, the government is making sure that this committee is taking place under the cover of darkness," she said, speaking around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The Ford government put forward amendments to the bill on Wednesday in response to criticism, including that the government will also create "Indigenous led economic zones." But opposition leaders say the government hasn't defined what this means.
The government also introduced what are known as duty to consult provisions.
"Regulations under this Act shall be made in a manner consistent with the recognition and affirmation of existing Aboriginal and treaty rights in section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, including the duty to consult," the proposed amendment reads, according to an email from the premier's office Wednesday.
But First Nations leaders in Ontario say the government already failed in its duty to consult. They want the province to start over and involve First Nations in drafting a new bill.
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