NationTalk: (Toronto, ON) The Chiefs of Ontario express their full support of the Matawa Chiefs Council and their statement regarding their formal response to Ontario’s proposed Bill 71: Building More Mines Act.
“The Chiefs of Ontario entirely support and stand with the Matawa Chiefs Council in their statement regarding Ontario’s lack of meaningful consultation, environmental oversight, and recognition of Crown responsibilities to First Nations across the North with regards to the recently proposed Bill 71: Building More Mines Act,” said Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare. “This piece of legislation will undoubtedly prove to be detrimental to Northern First Nations communities.”
The Matawa Chiefs Council has pointed to the province’s avoidance of the duty to consult and accommodate, as well as the need to reassess and redevelop the Ontario Mining Duty to Consult Consultation Framework (2022) as it currently exists to ensure that there be clear instruction for Ontario to consult with First Nations on “recovery” processes with regards to re-opening previously closed mining sites.
As the Matawa Chiefs Council further explains in their statement, the recovery permit amendments proposed in Bill 71 will provide the mining industry access to an estimated 295 closed mines across the province of Ontario. These mines are located in regions that may never have been a part of the duty to consult process.
As a result of the tabling of Bill 71, the Matawa Chiefs Council outlines that Matawa member First Nations have an interest in all aspects of resource development – this includes mining and the extraction of minerals and other critical resources from the traditional territories and homelands – including the Ring of Fire.
“We have seen similar routes being taken by the province to attempt to reduce red tape and allow industries and investors to take priority over proper consultation protocols with First Nations communities, such as in the passing of Bill 23: More Homes Built Faster Act, in which consultation with First Nations communities was entirely disregarded and First Nations’ constitutionally protected, inherent and Treaty rights were, and continue to be clearly violated.
It is imperative that we remind the government that First Nations are not stakeholders; we are sovereign Nations and are entitled to proper consultation based on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and mutual respect.
“The Chiefs of Ontario stand with not only Matawa Chiefs Council, but also with Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Anishinabek Nation, Grand Council Treaty #3, and Treaty No. 9, who will all be significantly impacted by Bill 71.
The Chiefs of Ontario echo and wholly support the Matawa Chiefs’ Council’s unified political stance that Ontario has yet to make any substantive effort to communicate or include the meaningful participation of the Matawa member First Nations as a collective region, despite an extremely aggressive public agenda to access their traditional territories and homelands.
Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare
The Chiefs of Ontario support all First Nations in Ontario as they assert their sovereignty, jurisdiction and their chosen expression of nationhood. Follow Chiefs of Ontario on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @ChiefsOfOntario.
Media inquiries, please contact:
Genna Benson
Communications and Public Affairs Manager
Policy and Communications Sector
Chiefs of Ontario
Telephone: 416-523-4020
Email: Genna.Benson@coo.org