Take the money, Doug Ford urges First Nations leaders who criticize fast-track development
'This door is only open so long,' Ford told reporters as he and his fellow premiers arrived at Deerhurst Resort in a motorcade from Toronto for their annual
Council of the Federation conference
, escorted by an Ontario Provincial Police motorcycle unit.
'There's never been a better opportunity for Indigenous communities — I'll speak for Ontario — than right now,' added Ford. 'There's $3 billion of equity sitting in the window that they can draw from. There's $70 million of training, $10 million of scholarships.'
The premiers' meeting with the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council, Congress of Aboriginal Peoples and others was expected to focus on the fight many Indigenous leaders are waging against Ford's Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, and similar federal legislation, Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, which also has a less contentious element — removing most federal barriers to interprovincial trade.
Both laws are aimed at speeding development of pipelines and other major infrastructure projects such as mines and rail corridors to offset an economic slowdown expected from U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods such as steel and automobiles.
But their passage in recent weeks — leaving First Nations leaders furious at a lack of advance consultation — has raised questions about the traditional treaty rights and environmental impact of fast-tracking massive projects intended to spur Canada's economy.
Following their own warnings that the controversial bills will end up slowing development, nine Ontario First Nations have launched legal challenges of both bills, insisting they are unconstitutional, and are seeking court injunctions to prevent Ottawa and Queen's Park from moving quickly on projects.
'Our rights cannot be implemented or respected without us, in substance and in process,' National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak of the Assembly of First Nations warned last week.
Ford is eager to accelerate projects in northwestern Ontario's Ring of Fire critical mineral deposits needed for electric vehicles, defence and other industries.
'We're gonna work with them,' he pledged in regard to First Nations. 'We want everyone to have an opportunity.'
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who
met with hundreds of Indigenous representatives last Thursday in Gatineau over their concerns
about the federal legislation, will join the premiers Tuesday and provide an update on trade negotiations with the Americans.
O'Chiese First Nation Chief Phyllis Whitford dismissed the summit, held behind closed doors, as 'political theatre' that followed 'last-minute invitations, last-minute agendas.'
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she's eager to hear more details from Carney on Bill C-5 and echoed Ford's concerns that major projects need to get rolling sooner rather than later.
'The problem has been, historically, that they haven't moved at all, that projects have 10 year or more time horizons,' she told reporters.
'This new world we're in, we have to figure out a way to get to 'yes' faster. It doesn't mean there isn't a robust conversation that has to happen, but it has to happen in a time frame when a proponent is going to know that the answer is 'yes' and how we get there,' Smith added.
'I'm supportive of an abridged time frame but I think we also have to figure out how that's going to work.'
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