THUNDER BAY – Kevin Holland, the MPP for Thunder Bay–Atikokan, says the new Protect Ontario act doesn’t take away Indigenous rights. Lucille Atlookan sees it differently.
“Yeah, that’s bullshit,” the Eabametoong First Nation member said Thursday.
Atlookan was among more than 100 protesters outside the Progressive Conservative MPP’s constituency office on James Street calling for the repeal of Bill 5, the recently passed Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act.
Her picket sign read “Protect the Land.” Others implored Premier Doug Ford’s government to honour treaties and “Kill Bill 5.”
Caro Whipp, a self-described “settler” who co-organized the flash rally against Bill 5, said “if (Holland) was in his office today, he would see the constituents out here today who are in disagreement” with the contention that the legislation doesn’t detract from Indigenous rights.
“There's a very loud opposition,” Whipp said. “Obviously Indigenous folks are feeling like this is a huge violation.”
Holland, who is an associate minister in Ford’s cabinet, told Newswatch last week that “Bill 5 isn’t about taking away rights and the duty to consult with First Nations communities.”
Instead, he said, it’s about making sure the province is globally competitive by speeding up the process of getting projects approved.
“By getting the land and destroying it?” Atlookan asked rhetorically.
She added that the Ford government “didn’t really consult with communities. Consulting with one or two communities is not consulting with all.”
Whipp said the legislation “goes against Indigenous treaties. That's what the Indigenous community has been most vocal about, that they were not consulted.
“And they are especially worried about the special economic zones and how that is going to designate certain territories for projects to not have to follow municipal or provincial laws. There's a lot of concern around that.”
One part of the act authorizes the province to create “special economic zones” where projects can be exempt from having to comply with provincial laws and regulations and municipal bylaws.
The Ford government has identified the mineral-rich Ring of Fire region in Treaty 9 territory as a future special economic zone.
The legislation also amends the province’s Mining Act to say prospecting and mineral exploration are to be pursued in ways “consistent with the protection of Ontario’s economy,” wording that some say signals less importance for Indigenous and environmental concerns.
And it gives the minister of mining powers to speed up the processes for getting mines approved.
Indigenous opposition to Bill 5 has included leaders’ presentations to the Standing Committee on the Interior, rallies at Queen’s Park in the days leading up to the bill’s passage, and numerous statements and protests since it passed final reading on June 4.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler told legislators in May that the bill is “a direct attack on” First Nations, Treaty 9 and Indigenous children.
A statement released by Bearskin Lake First Nation this week said the legislation is “in direct violation of our inherent rights as Indigenous People” and called for its immediate repeal.
The Matawa Chiefs Council, which includes representation for First Nations in the Ring of Fire region, issued a statement on Monday expressing opposition to Bill 5 but hope for progress in economic development.
“We believe there is still a way to work together in partnership to plan for the development of the Matawa territories and homelands, including the Ring of Fire,” the chiefs said.
A statement Tuesday from Sachigo Lake First Nation termed the new law “a modern-day continuation of colonial land dispossession, undermining our governance systems and sacred relationship with the land.”
Bill 5 also replaces the provincial Endangered Species Act with a Species Conservation Act that environmentalists say weakens protections for species at risk.
The David Suzuki Foundation has said Bill 5 “sets a dangerous precedent — not just for Ontario but for all of Canada — by prioritizing short-term industrial gain over long-term ecological and societal well-being.”
