The First Nations Land Defence Alliance wants mining exploration to stop on traditional lands
People from five northern First Nations held a rally Thursday outside Queen’s Park to call for an end to mining explorations on traditional lands by the province. They said that the Ontario government had not done its job to consult with them.
People gathered outside the Ministry of Mines building in Toronto. Among them were leaders from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, Wapekeka, Neskantaga, Grassy Narrows, and Muskrat Dam First Nations. All of these groups are part of the First Nations Land Defence Alliance.
Wayne Moonias, the former chief of Neskantaga First Nation, said at the rally, “Ontario has a duty to help our First Nations.”
“The Crown, which is Ontario, has a legal obligation to work with our First Nations to make sure they’re involved, engaged, and most importantly, that they work out a respectful relationship, and that’s not happening today.”
Moonias said that the group is “begging” the current provincial government and any future governments to respect their rights.
“The process of evaluating the environment is broken,” he said. “Our communities and people aren’t taken into account in those ways.
“Their voice, for example, is not respected, and that needs to change, especially when you’re dealing with what we’re dealing with.”
WATCH: How the Neskantaga First Nation is fighting against development that happens without its permission:
Northern Ontario, especially its Ring of Fire region in the James Bay lowlands in Treaty 9, is expected to be a major source of raw minerals as Ontario tries to take advantage of the growing demand for critical minerals needed for new electric vehicle (EV) technologies.
Thursday’s rally is the latest in a series of recent actions by northern First Nations to bring attention to their problems with the proposed development in their traditional territories and concerns that they are not being properly consulted:
- After a heated discussion about mining in March, some of the alliance’s leaders left the Ontario Legislature.
- In April, the leaders of 10 communities sued the provincial and federal governments over decisions made about land.
CBC News reached out to province spokespeople for comment, but hadn’t heard back at the time of publication. But Premier Doug Ford and Greg Rickford, the province’s minister of Indigenous affairs, have said for a long time that when it comes to northern development, the government is open to consultation and building consensus.
In a press release, the First Nations Land Defence Alliance said that the province is giving out mining claims without First Nations’ permission and is now “trying to fast-track dangerous mine approvals, delay safe closure plans, and build environmentally disastrous roads.”
The head councillor of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation, Cecilia Begg, said that First Nations are trying to make younger members more aware of the problems.
She said, “We have a lot of resources that are still in good shape, and we want to keep them that way as long as possible.”
Sol Mamakwa, an MPP for the Kiiwetinoong NDP, told the media that he supports the Land Defense Alliance.
The statement said, “No project should go forward without the free, prior, and informed consent of First Nations.” “The Ontario NDP and I join these nations in asking Premier Ford to get rid of the “free entry” system and instead deal with all mining activities on a nation-by-nation basis.
“Meaningful consent is not only important for peace, but it is also a must if we want to protect the land and water that all life depends on.”