THUNDER BAY — The provincial government's plan to declare areas such as the Ring of Fire "regions of strategic importance" and to expedite mining approvals has brought a quick response from the Matawa Chiefs Council and from Sol Mamakwa, the NDP MPP for Kiiwetinoong.
"When they start talking about how Canada is not for sale, I would say to Canada and to Ontario that our lands are not for sale, either," Mamakwa said in an April 16 interview.
His comment came a day after the Speech from the Throne at Queen's Park, in which the government of Premier Doug Ford revealed a plan to introduce legislation leading to the streamlining of permitting and approvals for the mining of the province's critical minerals.
"You cannot just fast-track mining or the regulations and the work that needs to happen, and not involve the processes of the free, prior informed consent," Mamakwa said. "People that live in these regions, the homelands, as First Nations people have rights to these lands. You cannot use the trade war, you cannot use the tariffs by the U.S. government as an excuse to access our lands."
In the throne speech, the government said it was committed to fulfilling the constitutional obligation to consult First Nations about resource development, and that First Nations would benefit through equity partnerships.
But Mamakwa expressed skepticism.
"Even today, a couple of ministers pulled me aside. They said it's not going to have an impact on the duty to consult. There's no reassurance on that for me, anyway, and I think that's the bare minimum. We need to do better, where all the people are involved — the rightsholders of these lands — are properly consulted."
The Matawa Chiefs Council, representing the leadership of First Nations surrounding the Ring of Fire, issued a statement calling on the government to hold formal discussions before the proposed legislation moves forward.
It said the designation of regions of strategic importance should only occur with "meaningful Crown engagement, mutual respect, implementation, resources, and the negotiation of agreements to address the priorities and crises of all the Matawa First Nation communities in parallel with the priorities of Ontario."
Unilaterally imposing legislation without government-to-government level discussions is "unacceptable," the council stated.
It also cautioned that the legislation could significantly impact current and future negotiations involving First Nations, government, the mining industry and business partnerships.
