First Nation leaders, advocates rally in Thunder Bay, Ont., to demand Bill 5's repeal
CBC
Etched on a poster board the size of her body, Mary McPherson held up a pencil-drawn portrait of Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
With dollar signs over his eyes, Ford is standing in front of a burned-down forest, holding a torn copy of the James Bay Treaty.
The artwork, McPherson said, is in response to Bill 5, controversial legislation which aims to fast-track development in the name of unleashing the province's economic potential.
"I'm really angry and scared for the future. I feel like already, this territory has experienced a lot of environmental harm as a result of resource extraction," said McPherson, a member of Couchiching First Nation.
"I'm concerned about the lack of consultation and most importantly, the lack of consent from Indigenous communities before going forth with projects like the Ring of Fire."
The legislation will see the creation of special economic zones, which will allow exemptions for certain municipal and provincial laws when it comes to projects of economic importance — namely mining.
The provincial government says it plans to consult with First Nations over the summer to help inform Bill 5's regulations and the special economic zones, including the mineral-rich Ring of Fire in the James Bay lowlands.
Over the past several weeks, dozens of First Nation leaders and conservation groups have been speaking out against the bill, arguing it tramples on Treaty rights and weakens environmental protections.
On Thursday, McPherson joined about 200 people outside Thunder Bay—Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland's office, calling for Bill 5 to be repealed.
"Really take into strong consideration UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) — and I'm not just talking about Section 35 and duty to consult and accommodate, which I personally [feel] is not enough," McPherson said.
"I'm talking about serious engagement with Indigenous peoples as equal partners and taking seriously their consent."
Hundreds of First Nations members from northern Ontario rallied outside Queen's Park last week before the bill was passed, after Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa, a member of Kingfisher Lake First Nation, was asked to leave the legislature for saying "the premier is telling untruths to First Nations."
Joyce Hunter, a member of Weenusk First Nation and one of the organizers of Thursday's rally, told the crowd she knocked on Holland's office door, but he wasn't there.
She said his staff refused to come outside and speak with participants or pass along their message to the MPP, and shut the door on her.
