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LETTER: Bill 5 threatens treaty-protected First Nations land

Letters to the editor

To whom it may concern,

For far too long, our First Nations people have been ignored and/or taken advantage of by the various levels of government when they try to make legislative decisions that will impact those people without prior consultation with them. The most recent example of this is Doug Ford's proposed "Bill 5: Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, 2025."

If and when this act comes into effect, it could have devastating consequences for lands that have been legislatively set aside for First Nations people who are located within the "Ring of Fire" area of Ontario. This is treaty protected land that has been ceded to them for in perpetuity. This is their ancestral land, therefore, we must include them in all negotiations regarding the repurposing of that land for other means that will affect the First Nations sovereign control over that land.

We must remember the awful reputation the Canadian mining industry has regarding their contemptible practices that fail to protect the environment within which they go about their business. Waters have been seriously polluted and people's health's been negatively impacted. Given this reality, First Nations people have even more reasons to challenge this piece of legislation.

We would do well to learn from the First Nations people regarding how to be good managers of the land and waters within our domain. First Nations people take only what they need and respect the natural world around them. Maybe the world would be in better shape than it now is if we only had learned to practice responsible conservancy and live in tune with nature like they do.

Please, keep this in mind when we consider the potential impact of Bill 5.

Bill 5 will repurpose specific First Nations land as a "special economic zone" so Doug Ford can quickly allow the mining of rare earths and critical minerals located in the "Ring of Fire". He claims he is taking this step so Ontario can develop some quick, credible traction in our province's attempts to respond to the predatory actions presented by the Trump Administration.

At first glance, this appears to be a well-meaning response by Ford and a seemingly "good" way to counteract Trump's attempts to destroy the Canadian economy, province by province, especially Ontario. But, detail by detail, is it really?

This is not the first time this area of Ontario has been eyed by various provincial governments for financial reasons. Previous attempts have been made to use this land to increase the amount of money in the provincial financial purse. For instance, the forests growing there have been threatened by cash-hungry pulp and paper and lumber companies. The First Nations people rightfully responded to those attempts by challenging those proposals. Thankfully, those attempts were successfully thwarted.

As frustrating as it may be for our provincial legislature to take the necessary time to deal with the First Nations people when they are challenged by them, our elected officials must never lose sight of the fact that these are treaty protected lands that belong to the First Nations. Thus, they possess the legal right to challenge every attempt to break the treaty that legislates their right to ultimately determine exactly what can or cannot be done with that specific piece of land. So, invite them into negotiations first, not after the fact when their backs are up.

No matter how existentially threatening Donald Trump may be to the economy of Ontario, the Ontario Legislature must always first consult with the affected First Nations people before ever deciding to pass legislation that impacts their legislatively protected land.

Besides, it's the only polite thing to do!

Janice Acland

 


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