Latest news with #IndigenousAffairs
CTV News
18 hours 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
ABC News
a day ago
- Business
- ABC News
Greens senator Dorinda Cox to join Labor
Dorinda Cox will leave the Greens and join Labor's ranks in the federal Senate, citing a loss of confidence in the minor party. The WA senator made the announcement alongside Anthony Albanese in Perth on Monday, confirming she initiated the switch and had been contemplating it for some time. "I am very, very grateful for this opportunity and I want to thank the Labor team for welcoming me, and I've spoken to the prime minister about the work I would like to do in the future as a member of a party of government," she said. Senator Cox, a Yamatji-Noongar woman, had been the only Indigenous member of the Greens' federal parliamentary team since Lidia Thorpe quit the party in 2023, and was the party's Indigenous Affairs spokesperson. In that capacity, she signed onto a joint statement with colleagues last week accusing Labor's Environment Minister Murray Watt of having "spectacularly failed" after he provisionally approved an extended licence for WA's "climate-wrecking" North West Shelf gas facility. On Monday, she told reporters it wouldn't be appropriate to make public commentary on that decision. She told reporters she had informed Greens leader Larissa Waters of her defection "about an hour and a half" before her public announcement. Mr Albanese said he had not spoken to Senator Waters. "The reason why Dorinda has made this decision is the same reason why all those years ago as a very young man I made the decision to join the Labor Party... That the way you make a difference is to be part of a party of government." Last year, Senator Cox issued an apology to staff for "distress" following bullying accusations reported by Nine papers. In the recent Greens party room meeting to elect leadership positions, Senator Cox was the only unsuccessful nominee, running against Mehreen Faruqi for deputy and Penny Allman-Payne for the deputy whip and receiving a handful of votes for each. She was first chosen as a senator in 2021 to replace retiring Greens senator Rachel Siewert, and was elected for a six-year term in 2022. "What I would like to achieve in my political life and what you can't do from the crossbench is make change and being in the government and alongside the wonderful team that the prime minister has, you are able to make change," she said. The extra number for Labor in the Senate does not materially change its ability to pass legislation, which could still be achieved only with the support of either the Greens or the Coalition. But Labor would have faced a more challenging Senate had Senator Cox gone to the crossbench instead, needing one extra vote to pass any bill with the Greens' support. It also means the Greens and the Coalition can no longer team up to block a bill, without the support of at least one crossbencher. Senator Cox is the second WA Senator elected in 2022 to switch parties, following Senator Fatima Payman who quit Labor's ranks to join the crossbench, after she crossed the floor to support a Greens motion on Palestinian statehood.
Hamilton Spectator
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Doug Ford blinks on Bill 5, under fire from First Nations
First Nations leaders and youth activists gathered at Queen's Park on Monday to denounce Ontario's controversial Bill 5,. 'This will not be the end of our fight,' said Alvin Fiddler, Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation. 'The fight will only just be a start, will only begin.' Introduced by Premier Doug Ford's government, the bill aims to fast-track development by stripping away key safeguards — but for First Nations communities, it is a direct threat to Indigenous sovereignty, environmental security and generational justice. 'Nowhere in Bill 5 is the rights of Indigenous peoples to free, prior and informed consent mentioned — not even once,' said Shane Moffatt, Ontario Nature's conservation campaigns and advocacy manager. 'There is the potential for their rights to be really trampled if Bill 5 goes ahead, and that's paramount.' The fight against Bill 5 is not just confined to First Nations and environmental groups, but is gaining traction across Ontario. 'The premier has kicked a hornet's nest,' Moffatt said. 'I've never seen such quick mobilization and such an overwhelming response from the public.' In response to the opposition, Doug Ford's government announced today he will partially amend Bill 5 to include a duty to consult First Nations before moving forward — but intends to pass the bill to create special economic zones that fast-track mining and development projects. Minister of Indigenous Affairs Greg Rickford and Ministry of Energy Stephen Lecce said the province won't move forward with this plan until they have meaningful consultation with all the First Nations in the area. As soon as Bill 5 becomes law — which could happen next week — Premier Ford, Rickford, and Lecce plan to meet with First Nations leaders to discuss the next steps. At Queen's Park, Fiddler firmly opposed Bill 5, calling it 'inappropriate' and rejecting the 'bill in its entirety.' He said he is concerned for young people in the territory who are 'rightfully worried about what this could mean for them and for their future.' Hanna Sewell, a member of Batchewana First Nation and co-chair of the Ontario First Nations Young People's Council said the bill reminds her of a battle — a violent one — her people fought over a similar issue, generations ago. 'Unfortunately, we've been subject to a lot of these bills over the years,' said Sewell. 'My reserve was predominantly in the Battle of Mica Bay.' The Battle of Mica Bay occurred in November 1849, when Anishinaabe and Métis leaders confronted the Quebec Mining Company for extracting minerals on their land without consent or compensation. Their peaceful but firm action forced the mine to close and drew the government's attention to Indigenous land rights. 'We have nothing left to lose except our land,' Sewell said. 'We're really willing to do anything it takes to make sure that our land is protected and that we can help breathe clean air and drink clean water, which some First Nations don't even have the ability to do now.' Major changes demanded Ramon Kataquapit, from Attawapiskat First Nation and a youth council member from the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, said the bill 'literally says that our rights do not matter' and suggests 'that the lands that we sit on — and have stewarded since time immemorial — aren't our territory.' He said that the lack of environmental impact consultations in the past severely affected his community. Even as a mining company stripped the First Nation's land, the proceeds from its agreements were placed into a trust fund that has been inaccessible for 15 to 20 years, Kataquapit said. Meanwhile, its operations have contaminated the environment. 'The surrounding land, our source waters are filled with diesel and mercury from these mines, which is why we are on and off under a boil water advisory for a really long time,' Kataquapit said. First Nations leaders said Bill 5 requires a complete overhaul, not just amendments. 'It needs to be completely kiboshed and [revised] in a much, much better way, with First Nations at the table from the beginning,' Sewell said. She said the current government engagement is being 'taken at face value as consultation.' Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict said that First Nations are not opposed to economic growth, however, the bill makes the 'duty to consult very unclear' and would send many disputes to court. Benedict said these legal battles drain community resources and can delay or halt projects, creating economic uncertainty and losses for communities that could have otherwise benefited from properly negotiated development agreements. 'We want infrastructure. We want all those great things. Yes, bring it to the north, but be mindful in the way that you do it,' Sewell said. Environmental protections not 'red tape' Environmentalists like Moffatt of Ontario Nature say environmental protections are not 'red tape,' but instead are crucial safeguards for clean air, clean water and the ecosystems that all Ontarians depend on. 'We're in the middle of a global biodiversity crisis, and the last thing that Ontario should be doing ... is weakening protections for endangered species,' Moffatt said. He said the potential elimination of species recovery strategies under Bill 5 is a fundamental abandonment of endangered species, with significant consequences for essential systems such as agriculture that rely heavily on pollinators. While many provinces are stepping up and putting in place new conservation measures, Ford's government is running in the opposite direction , he said. Ontario Nature has already collected over 18,000 petition signatures and united 100 organizations in a joint submission. 'It reflects the huge number of Ontarians that are seeing this ... I personally think that we're going to see that opposition continue to grow,' Moffatt said. 'The premier is going to have to answer some very tough questions that the public are asking him.' However, Ford has dismissed these concerns as coming from 'radical environmentalists.' 'You can call me whatever you want, but at the end of the day, I'm trying to fight for you too, Doug Ford,' Sewell said. She said First Nations' advocacy for land protection benefits everyone. 'It's so that your kids, your grandkids, too, can drink, breathe and live in the future, and we're always taught to think seven generations ahead,' Sewell said. Fiddler said he is concerned that the federal government, under newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney, may be considering legislation similar to Ontario's controversial Bill 5. 'This is not how you want to start your mandate as prime minister,' said Fiddler. 'You need to be respectful of our nation. You need to be mindful of the obligation that you have under a treaty.'Indigenous leaders and allied organizations have made it clear: if the province does not pause and consult, they are prepared to pursue 'conflict' both on the ground and in the courts. 'It's a battle between choosing the people or the land,' Kataquapit said. 'We want to share and live on these lands you call Canada, but if our inherent treaty rights keep being violated and our right to prior and informed consent is ignored, we will stand up against it.' 'We will call for a movement. We will fight for change in the government — not just to respect us, but to respect our sovereignty.' Sonal Gupta / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada's National Observer
News.com.au
26-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Albanese government urged revive Indigenous Affairs agenda or risk ‘obliteration' for Aboriginal culture
Former senator Pat Dodson has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to revive his government's stalled Indigenous Affairs agenda, warning that Aboriginal people risk being culturally erased. 'If you don't participate, you'll end up being the subject and the property of the assimilationists,' Mr Dodson, long hailed as the father of reconciliation, told ABC's 7.30 on Monday night. 'That's what the new assimilation is about — completing the obliteration of Aboriginal people from the landscape. 'If you looked at what they were talking about in the opposition at the last election, getting rid of land councils, revising a whole range of symbolism, throw out the Welcome to Country, get rid of the flags, rescind the ambassador. 'Anything that indicates the presence of Aboriginal people would have gone. That's what the new assimilation is about, completing the obliteration of Aboriginal people from the landscape. 'Cultural heritage is another very important aspect of that. The more you smash and destroy the cultural heritage of Aboriginal people, the greater it is to say well there is no substantive argument to say that they had any presence here, because there's no evidence, they've blown it up.' Mr Dodson, a Yawuru man from Broome who retired from parliament in early 2024, urged the Albanese government to recommit to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. While last year's Voice referendum failed, the other two pillars, treaty and truth-telling, remain on the table. It is now time for Labor to pursue this after claiming a landslide victory earlier this month, Mr Dodson says. 'They can do that because it doesn't require a constitutional referendum. It can be done by way of legislation,' he continued. He also called on Labor to revisit the Calma-Langton model — a network of regional Indigenous bodies proposed under the Morrison government — as a path forward for local decision-making. 'Whether they call it a Voice or whether they call it a regional assembly ... but an entity and that entity will have to be representative of the regional people,' he said. 'That way we can start to manage the awful incarceration rates of young people and the underlying circumstances that's given rise to that.' Mr Dodson admitted he was disappointed by the Prime Minister's decision to pull back from reconciliation efforts following the failed referendum, but understood it politically. 'I think Albanese was smart not to drink from the poisoned chalice,' he said. 'He had to do that.' Dodson's own role in the campaign was limited by cancer treatment. He left federal politics shortly after the referendum, a result he described as personally devastating. 'I felt the sadness,' he said. 'We saw a response at the poll that I think shocked many of us, many people felt gutted … I thought time will heal this.' He believes resistance to the Voice stemmed from a deeper discomfort in acknowledging Indigenous sovereignty. 'We don't know how to recognise Aboriginal peoples as sovereign peoples, because we fear this will undermine our own sovereignty,' he said. 'They think this is something about (Indigenous Australians) getting something better or more than they might be getting.' Dodson said constitutional reform via referendum will likely remain out of reach due to the requirement for a national majority and support in a majority of states. 'We're never going to see a provision put forward to support Aboriginal people be successful,' he said.
Toronto Star
24-05-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
Doug Ford says some First Nations will ‘never agree' to proposed bill speeding up mine development
Mindful of concerns from Indigenous groups about a controversial bill fast-tracking mines and infrastructure projects, Premier Doug Ford maintains he's consulting with First Nations — but notes some 'will never agree.' 'People elected us to move quick, and that's exactly what we're going to do,' Ford said Friday in Orillia, referring to the Feb. 27 vote that saw his Progressive Conservatives win a third consecutive majority. The Conservative platform included promises to cut red tape and speed up the approval process for mines, roads and highways so that critical minerals from northern Ontario can get to market faster. The minerals are needed for electric vehicle, national defence and other industries, and could help offset the negative economic impacts of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Ford touted the benefits of more mining projects for Indigenous communities, such as jobs and modern conveniences, and acknowledged he expects continued resistance despite tripling the amount available for loans to First Nations partnerships to $3 billion earlier this week. Provincial Politics Doug Ford government touts $3B for Indigenous loans a day before hearings on the controversial bill fast-tracking mining projects With legislative hearings on Bill 5, the 'Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act,' 'You know, some groups will never agree. Some are in-between, and some are all for it,' the premier told reporters. 'But I feel strongly that when other First Nations communities see their neighbours thriving and prospering and having electricity rather than diesel (to fuel generators), and growing their community and learning trades ... eventually they're going to want ... to do the same thing,' the premier added. 'I'm hoping.' Ford's comments came the day after legislative committee hearings began at Queen's Park on Bill 5, called the 'Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act.' Indigenous leaders fear that if enacted it would violate treaties, limit environmental assessments and create special economic zones exempt from many provincial regulations. Provincial Politics Doug Ford's legislation to speed up mining projects violates First Nation treaty rights, hearing told Proponents argue that the controversial bill is essential for Ontario's economy amid U.S. 'Our treaty is not red tape. Our rights are not red tape,' Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation told legislators after New Democrat MPP Sol Mamakwa (Kiiwetinoong) chided Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation Minister Greg Rickford, saying 'you're not listening to First Nations.' Mamakwa's riding near Kenora includes the massive Ring of Fire mineral deposits. Ford warned mining investments will go to the United States, Australia and other jurisdictions if Ontario doesn't improve the timelines for getting mines up and running, a process that he said can now take 15 years. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'With consultation from communities and First Nations, we want to move it quicker because, if not, we're losing investments.' Other critics have warned Bill 5 would endanger wildlife and could lead to unwilling hosts for garbage dumps, because of plans to expand a landfill site in Dresden. 'If a massive landfill can be forced on the edge of our town without a full environmental review, whose town is next?' Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff asked the committee Thursday. Noting that some Ontario garbage goes to Michigan, Energy and Mines Minister Stephen Lecce said 'we need to ensure that we are not beholden to President Trump when it comes to critical minerals or energy or even our waste management.' The hearings on Bill 5 continue Monday. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
