Latest news with #CindyWoodhouse
National Post
2 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Tasha Kheiriddin: Indigenous leaders put Carney's dreams on notice
Will Prime Minister Mark Carney's national infrastructure dreams be kiboshed by Canada's First Nations? That's the question hanging over Ottawa this week — and if Carney's not careful, the answer could well be yes. Article content At Monday's First Ministers' meeting in Saskatoon, the PM rolled out his big plan: slash approval times for 'national interest' infrastructure projects from five to two years. He got buy-in from the premiers, hoping to stimulate growth, counter U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, and pull Canada together as one economy. Despite a shortage of specifics, there finally appears to be a willingness to get things done and reconcile the interests of East and West. Quebec Premier François Legault said he's open to a pipeline, Ontario Premier Doug Ford was positively giddy about energy corridors, and even Alberta's Danielle Smith was cautiously optimistic. Article content Indigenous leaders, however, are not impressed. National Chief Cindy Woodhouse of the Assembly of First Nations warned that the plan risks trampling Indigenous rights and took umbrage at being given seven days to review draft proposals. Regional Chief Scott McLeod of the Anishinabek Nation went further, suggesting that Canada could see a new indigenous protest movement along the lines of Idle No More. That movement arose in 2012 in response to Bill C-45, legislation advanced by then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper that sought to streamline the project approvals process, and spawned protests and rail travel disruptions across the country. Article content Article content Now, Carney could face the same opposition, made worse by the actions of his own party and other progressive politicians over the past ten years. Their version of reconciliation did little to advance Indigenous people economically, but much to reinforce the idea that non-Indigenous people are guests in their own country. Article content Article content From the denigration of Canadian historical figures like John A. Macdonald, Henry Dundas and Egerton Ryerson, to the performative and divisive repetition of land acknowledgements, to the spreading of falsehoods about the existence of mass graves at residential schools, Canada was depicted as the country that could do no right by its First Nations. Little wonder, then, that many Indigenous people don't see themselves as part of Canada and have little interest in pulling together for the 'national interest.' Article content Article content There is no question that a succession of Canadian governments implemented policies that damaged generations of First Nations people, including the Indian Act, the residential school system, the pass system, and the potlatch ban. But guilt will not help fix current problems facing First Nations. Nor will opposition to development. It will actually hurt, by weakening Canada economically and reducing its capacity to fund real change in indigenous communities, such as ending all boil water advisories and building adequate housing and schools.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Hundreds of First Nations members protest Ontario mining bill at Queen's Park
Controversy continues to grow over the Ford government's Bill 5 as opposition leaders and First Nations groups raise their concerns. Siobhan Morris reports. TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government is pushing through a controversial mining bill despite the protests of several hundred First Nations members who came from the far north to the front lawn of Queen's Park on Monday. 'Kill Bill 5, kill Bill 5,' the crowd chanted. The province moved to shut down debate on a mining law known as Bill 5 that would give the government power to suspend provincial and municipal laws for chosen projects in areas deemed to have economic importance – and remove some endangered species protections. The proposed legislation has sparked an angry backlash from First Nations who say the bill tramples their rights and ignores their concerns. They've asked the province to scrap the bill and to draft legislation alongside First Nations as partners. 'Our rights are not for sale,' said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse at the rally. The government is speeding up the passage of a plethora of bills before the legislature rises later this week for a summer break. Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, is designed to speed up the building of large projects, especially mines. The province will not kill the bill, said Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford. 'We're looking forward to passing the bill later this week and getting out and performing our duty to consult,' Rickford said. Ford, Rickford and Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce are set to soon meet with the leadership council of the Chiefs of Ontario, and then the ministers plan to visit First Nations in northern Ontario throughout the summer as they try to sell them on the bill. The province intends to designate the Ring of Fire, a region replete with critical minerals, as a so-called 'special economic zone' where it can pick and choose which laws to lift. Last week, under pressure from First Nations, the province made several amendments to the bill in an effort to appease them. But First Nations said it was too little, too late. The province will hold off on designating the Ring of Fire the first such zone until it completes consultations with affected First Nations. First Nations have threatened to form blockades of roads, railways and mines should the bill become law. 'Certainly we don't condone confrontation and as I said I have spoken with a number of First Nations leaders from across the province who've expressed that today is a rally, a peaceful reminder that they want to try to understand how the designation of an economic zone would affect their treaty rights,' Rickford said. 'We've assured them that they will in no way affect their treaties rights and that, further, the duty to consult is explicit in the bill.' A legislative committee heard from First Nations leaders and environmental groups, as well as mining groups, over two days and as the committee was considering amendments last week the NDP and Liberals used procedural tools to grind the process to a halt, in protest. Government house leader Steve Clark has stepped in to limit further committee time and require the bill to go back to the house for third reading, with just one hour of debate, and a final vote that same day. While Bill 5 got two days of committee hearings, the six other pieces of legislation the government is speeding up have had no hearings, and will have as little as half an hour of third-reading debate, with just nine minutes each allotted to the two recognized opposition parties. New Democrat Sol Mamakwa, the legislature's lone First Nations member, said in question period that Ford was 'telling untruths' about his people's approval of the mining bill. Speaker Donna Skelly asked him to withdraw the comment, which Mamakwa refused to do, so she booted him from question period. Thirty minutes later, Skelly and Mamakwa set aside their differences to feed politicians a 'Taste of the North' lunch. Mamakwa had several family and community members help gather food from northwestern Ontario, fly it to Toronto and cook it at Queen's Park. The politicians ate moose, goose, lake trout, pickerel and beaver. Mamakwa has twice packed a frozen goose and brought it to Queen's Park, where he plucked and cooked it – once on the front lawn. 'The beaver was a last-minute addition,' Mamakwa said with a big smile on Monday. 'Food brings people together.' With a full belly, Mamakwa returned to his differences and set out for the protest. The opposition parties say pushing bills through without much public consultation or debate is undemocratic. The NDP's Opposition house leader, John Vanthof, spoke in a debate last week over the government limiting debate and bypassing committee for four bills – including the budget bill – in what's called a time allocation motion. 'What's happening now with the time allocation, specifically on four bills, is removing the right of the people to speak, and in many ways, the opposition to speak,' Vanthof said. 'You actually don't need a parliament. We're actually almost going back to where you have, like, a king. That's truly scary. I'm not opposed to the monarchy as a figurehead, but we came very far in our democracies to actually have parliaments. What the government is doing is basically making the premier the king.' Vanthof stressed the seriousness of the matter, though he had the opposition benches laughing while he was reading out quotes from government house leader Steve Clark, upset about time allocation motions when he was in opposition. 'My party loves to hear from people,' Clark said in the waning days of the former Liberal government. 'If this government doesn't want to listen to people, I'll give them a guarantee. I'll give them, actually, the people's guarantee, because we will listen to them, and we will ensure that those Ontarians are being listened to.' Clark, who during that 2017 debate called such motions 'anti-democratic,' said last week that the younger Steve Clark was 'maybe more brash and abrupt,' defending the current moves. 'The government has decided that these four bills are very important for us,' he said. 'There needs to be certainty from the government's government decides that they're going to prioritize certain things, the government is going to move forward with those legislations. That's my message.' However much the former Liberal government shut down debate, the Progressive Conservative government is a worse offender, Vanthof said. 'Two time allocation votes in a day was probably the previous record for the travesty to democracy, probably the previous record, and that was held by the Liberals,' he said. 'But this government is so efficient, including destroying the democratic process, that they put four bills, including a budget, in one time allocation motion.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025. Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Hundreds of First Nations members protest Ontario mining bill at Queen's Park
Controversy continues to grow over the Ford government's Bill 5 as opposition leaders and First Nations groups raise their concerns. Siobhan Morris reports. TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government is pushing through a controversial mining bill despite the protests of several hundred First Nations members who came from the far north to the front lawn of Queen's Park on Monday. The province has moved to shut down debate on a mining law known as Bill 5 that would give the government power to suspend provincial and municipal laws for chosen projects in areas they deem to have economic importance – and remove some endangered species protections. The proposed legislation has sparked an angry backlash from First Nations who say the bill tramples their rights and ignores their concerns. The government is speeding up the passage of a plethora of bills before the legislature rises later this week for a summer break. Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford says the province will pass the bill into law this week, which is when he and the government will begin consultations with First Nations in earnest. First Nation leaders say the fight will come to the land if Ontario does not alter course. 'Our rights are not for sale,' said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse. The crowd chanted 'kill Bill 5, kill Bill 5' while politicians inside the legislature debated a motion to speed up the bill. A legislative committee heard from First Nations leaders and environmental groups, as well as mining groups, over two days and as the committee was considering amendments last week the NDP and Liberals used procedural tools to grind the process to a halt, in protest. Government house leader Steve Clark is now stepping in to limit further committee time and require the bill to go back to the house for third reading, with just one hour of debate, and a final vote that same day. While Bill 5 got two days of committee hearings, the six other pieces of legislation the government is speeding up have had no hearings, and will have as little as half an hour of third-reading debate, with just nine minutes each allotted to the two recognized opposition parties. New Democrat Sol Mamakwa, the legislature's lone First Nations member, said Ford was 'telling untruths' about his people's approval of the mining bill. Speaker Donna Skelly asked him to withdraw the comment, which Mamakwa refused to do so she booted him from question period. The opposition parties say pushing bills through without much public consultation or debate is undemocratic. The NDP's Opposition house leader, John Vanthof, spoke in a debate last week over the government limiting debate and bypassing committee for four bills – including the budget bill – in what's called a time allocation motion. 'What's happening now with the time allocation, specifically on four bills, is removing the right of the people to speak, and in many ways, the opposition to speak,' Vanthof said. 'You actually don't need a parliament. We're actually almost going back to where you have, like, a king. That's truly scary. I'm not opposed to the monarchy as a figurehead, but we came very far in our democracies to actually have parliaments. What the government is doing is basically making the premier the king.' Vanthof stressed the seriousness of the matter, though he had the opposition benches laughing while he was reading out quotes from government house leader Steve Clark, upset about time allocation motions when he was in opposition. 'My party loves to hear from people,' Clark said in the waning days of the former Liberal government. 'If this government doesn't want to listen to people, I'll give them a guarantee. I'll give them, actually, the people's guarantee, because we will listen to them, and we will ensure that those Ontarians are being listened to.' Clark, who during that 2017 debate called such motions 'anti-democratic,' said last week that the younger Steve Clark was 'maybe more brash and abrupt,' defending the current moves. 'The government has decided that these four bills are very important for us,' he said. 'There needs to be certainty from the government's government decides that they're going to prioritize certain things, the government is going to move forward with those legislations. That's my message.' However much the former Liberal government shut down debate, the Progressive Conservative government is a worse offender, Vanthof said. 'Two time allocation votes in a day was probably the previous record for the travesty to democracy, probably the previous record, and that was held by the Liberals,' he said. 'But this government is so efficient, including destroying the democratic process, that they put four bills, including a budget, in one time allocation motion.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025. Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
The Guardian
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Mirrored floors and mountain goats: photos of the day
Becky G arrives at the 2025 American music awards where she won the favourite female Latin artist award Photograph: Christopher Polk/The sun sets as SpaceX's mega rocket Starship is prepared for a test flight from the Space X Starbase Photograph: Eric Gay/AP Rosie Weaver leans against the headstone of her husband, US army specialist Michael Weaver, after a Memorial Day ceremony at Great Lakes national cemetery Photograph: Ayrton Breckenridge/The Flint Journal/AP Protesters chant outside the room in which Representative Andy Ogles holds a press conference for the Stop the Invasion: Protect Tennessee anti-immigration campaign Photograph: Laura Thompson/Shutterstock A vendor walks with his hats and beachwear along Ipanema beach Photograph: Bruna Prado/AP A woman sits sideways behind her friend on a motorcycle Photograph: Rodrigo Abd/AP King Charles meets with Assembly of First Nations chief, Cindy Woodhouse, during a royal visit Photograph: Canadian Press/Shutterstock An employee cleans mirrored floors at the Mahanakhon Skyverse digital art exhibition at King Power Mahanakhon Photograph: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images Senegalese prepare for the upcoming Muslim holy festival Eid-Al-Adha, by bringing sheep and goats into the town for market Photograph: Cem Ozdel/Anadolu/Getty Images A woman walks in her dressing gown among the damage after Russian airstrikes hit residential areas of Kramatorsk Photograph: Jose Colon/Anadolu/Getty Images People collect rose petals early in the morning. Bulgaria is widely recognised as the world's leading producer and exporter of rose oil. According to the Bulgarian ministry of agriculture, the so-called 'liquid gold' had an average price of €9168 per kilogram in 2023. It takes 34 tonnes of rose flowers, or around 1.6m rose petals, to produce a kilogram of rose oil Photograph: Nikolay Doychinov/AFP/Getty Images Marissa Faessler leads her goats to the Alps during the traditional 'Alpfahrt' – the ceremonial driving up of cattle from the valley up into the Alps Photograph: Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP Soldiers of the guard battalion during a welcome ceremony for President Duda of Poland at Bellevue Palace Photograph: Filip Singer/EPA A man works at 140-year-old Fernández y Roche Industrias Sombrereras Españolas factory, which produces Orthodox Jewish hats, in Salteras Photograph: Marcelo del Pozo/Reuters
Globe and Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Morning Update: King Charles's Canadian Day
Good morning. In this new political climate, anything that King Charles III says at today's Throne Speech will be met with an unparalleled level of analysis. More on the King's visit below, plus the first day of Parliament's return. But first: King Charles III and Queen Camilla were greeted by loud cheers upon landing in Ottawa, kicking off the first day of a historic visit before the King opens Parliament today with a speech from the throne. They traveled aboard an RCAF Airbus CC-330 Husky, newly acquired by the Canadian Armed Forces. There to welcome the royal couple were Prime Minister Mark Carney, his wife Diana Fox Carney, Governor-General Mary Simon and Indigenous leaders including Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse. But beyond the expected fanfare, the stakes are high for the King and Queen Camilla to make a good first impression on their first visit since the coronation, says freelance Royal reporter Patricia Treble. Yesterday, she was watching for the signs. The Sovereign's Flag for Canada hoisted from the cockpit of the plane as it taxis to a stop in Ottawa? Check. King Charles wearing his Order of Canada pin on his lapel? Check. Queen Camilla wearing a suitably Canadian brooch? Check. Tree planting and puck drop ceremonies? Of course. Diving deeper into fashion choice, Idella Sturino notes that Queen Camilla was wearing the iconic diamond maple leaf brooch given to Queen Elizabeth by King George VI in 1939 before their first royal tour of Canada. There are five broaches she could have chosen with significance to Canada. In fact, the royal couple's visit is full of sartorial Easter eggs and hidden meaning. One excited resident, Helen Clark, spoke with generation reporter Ann Hui in the morning when she was picking up Union Jacks for her two grandchildren. Clark was born in Britain and raised in Ottawa, where her own mother would take her to see the royals whenever they came to visit. Now she's passing on the tradition to her own grandchildren. 'It's important. This could be the last time the King comes to Canada,' she said, referring to his recent health troubles. 'I hope it's not.' Not everyone was delighted by our guests. Protestors did also show up, with signs saying 'not my King' and 'Charles is not my King and neither is Mark Carney.' But their cries were drowned out by cheering and chanting of God Save the King. Sovereignty was a major talking point of the day, thanks to Trump's comments on making Canada a 51st state. But Ottawa residents told The Globe that they see the visit as a move that represented broader unity with the world outside of our neighbours down south. 'When the King comes to town, you get the world's spotlight trained on you for one brief, bright moment, so you put on a play about yourself and your place in the world,' wrote Shannon Proudfoot, taking a step back from the events of the day. You can catch up on the full day, with dispatches that were sent from our reporters on the ground across the city. Back in Britain it was a holiday, but London-based foreign correspondent Paul Waldie wrote in to us that the King's Canadian visit is still getting a lot of attention. Much of their media coverage has highlighted how the trip is designed to send a message to Trump. 'King Charles travels to support Canada as it fends off Trump,' read one BBC story, which reported the royal 'diplomatic balancing act.' However, the trip to Canada was competing for European attention against the Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling contest and three major soccer celebrations. However, fresh off their team's Premier League championship win, Liverpool fans were left mourning after a car plowed into a crowd at their victory parade – a grief familiar to Canadians after the Lapu Lapu tragedy in Vancouver exactly one month ago. 'After Trudeau, who consciously sought the symbols of progressive change, Carney is looking like a more traditional prime minister,' writes Campbell Clark. 'The King's presence in this constitutional role may surprise some Canadians, but for many First Nations across these lands, it reaffirms something we have always known: the Crown is not merely symbolic,' writes Perry Bellegarde. 'If ever there was a time for Canadians to start checking in on their system of government, it is now. We can thank our newly crowned King for that. And Donald Trump,' writes John Fraser. 'Canada and Britain, each facing unprecedented uncertainty, find themselves forced into strategic realignment,' writes Evan H. Potter. Prime Minister Carney took his seat in the House of Commons for the first time as the work of the 45th Parliament began. Montreal-area Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia was elected as the new Speaker. He paid tribute to previous speaker Greg Fergus for handling the job in feisty times. Separately, the NDP will not be granted official party status because the law says a party needs at least 12 seats to be recognized. The democrats stand with just seven seats after last month's election. Ukraine says Russia launched its biggest drone attack yet, prompting President Trump to say President Vladimir Putin had gone 'crazy' on social media. The last three days of escalated bombing has further dashed hopes of a ceasefire between the two nations. At home: A text message that the Crown says is crucial to the Hockey Canada sex-assault case has been ruled inadmissible Abroad: No sign of aid deliveries being made in Gaza as Israel continues to mount fierce attacks on the besieged enclave. At the border: Ottawa is facing a legal challenge arguing that its oversight of a refugee treaty with the U.S. is 'fundamentally flawed.' At the wheel: Driving at 16 is no longer the norm and instructors are adapting.
