The passing of Bill 5 in the Ontario legislature on Wednesday was met with widespread backlash from First Nations.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government has passed its contentious legislation known as Bill 5, which gives the province sweeping powers to speed up mining or other development projects but has faced widespread backlash from First Nations and environmentalists.
The bill, which would create “special economic zones” that give the government power to suspend any provincial or municipal bylaw for chosen projects, has been sharply criticized by Indigenous groups who accuse the province of trampling on their treaty rights and failing to consult them.
First Nations leaders, at Queen’s Park for the vote Wednesday, warned of protests and even blockades of mines or highways like those seen during the Idle No More movement a dozen years ago. Mr. Ford was not in the chamber when the bill passed.
Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents 49 First Nations across Northern Ontario – including those in the remote Ring of Fire region where Mr. Ford has vowed to kick-start mining for critical minerals – called the Premier a coward for skipping the vote. Mr. Fiddler would not rule out blocking major highways to protest the bill.
“Everything is on the table,” he told reporters. “I think after today we need to look at every option that is at our disposal, including legal, political, economic, everything – including taking direct action.”
Hannah Jensen, a spokeswoman for the Premier, said he missed the vote because an online meeting with a U.S. congressman went over time.
Shouts of “Shame on you!” and “Where’s the Premier?” echoed from the gallery benches during the vote as the Progressive Conservative caucus stood to support the bill. A handful of people were ejected. “Our land is not for sale!” one man shouted, while another man called the bill a step backward on reconciliation.
Despite a last-ditch attempt by the Ontario Liberals to stall the bill by introducing thousands of amendments at committee, the PCs – who hold a majority – were able to limit debate on the bill and take it to a vote in the legislature.
However, the delay tactics meant the government was not able to add a number of its own amendments to the bill, including changes it pledged reaffirming its pre-existing obligations to consult First Nations. The legislation passed 71-44 on Wednesday.
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles, standing alongside First Nations leaders, joined Mr. Fiddler in criticizing the Premier’s absence during the vote. She vowed to keep up the fight against the legislation, which she predicted would end up in court. She also echoed demands from Mr. Fiddler and other First Nations leaders for Ontario Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford to resign.
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The government has pledged to consult First Nations after the bill’s passage, a move Mr. Fiddler dismissed as an “insult.”
Mr. Ford has said the legislation is necessary to accelerate the mining in the Ring of Fire region, in order to ensure Ontario’s future economic resilience in the face of U.S. tariffs. But he has also said he could use the legislation for his vision to build a massive traffic tunnel under Highway 401.
The debate over how to accelerate resource development as U.S. President Donald Trump hammers the Canadian economy with tariffs is playing out across the country. The federal government and British Columbia are also facing criticism for their plans to speed up development, although they have both vowed to properly consult with First Nations groups on their plans.
Facing mounting opposition from First Nations in recent weeks, the government introduced amendments that reaffirm its pre-existing constitutional obligations to consult First Nations and said it could allow “Indigenous-led economic zones,” with few details.
Speaking to reporters at Queen’s Park on Wednesday before the bill passed, Mr. Ford blamed the opposition for the fact that the government couldn’t add many of its own amendments to the bill.
“It’s a shame that they want to play politics and try to run out the clock,” he said.
“I can assure you, with Indigenous communities across Ontario, we’re going to have duty to consult, we’re going to respect treaty rights. This is about supporting Indigenous communities.”
Mr. Ford also said people shouldn’t block roads and highways in protest. “You can’t break the law, simple as that. If any of us go stand and block the highways – they need to move on or they’ll be dealt with appropriately,” he said, adding he doesn’t direct the police.
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Opposition critics and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have called the bill’s sweeping powers an anti-democratic overreach for potentially allowing exemptions from provincial environmental or labour laws. Environmentalists have pointed to provisions they say would gut protections for endangered species. But a separate part of the bill that would award mining permits more quickly has received support from the industry and even opposition parties at Queen’s Park.
Another PC member missing from the chamber for the vote was Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Steve Pinsonneault. He has broken ranks and spoken out against the bill, which would fast-track a landfill in his Southwestern Ontario community of Dresden that has faced community opposition.