In Ontario’s north and south, Indigenous groups protest new laws designed to fast-track infrastructure

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Indigenous demonstrations against both the federal and Ontario governments unfolded at multiple sites across the province Tuesday, as protesters rallied against initiatives to fast-track major infrastructure projects.

As far north as the Attawapiskat River, which flows into James Bay, and as far south as Queen’s Park, Ontario’s legislature, protesters gathered in separate demonstrations to push back against two laws recently passed at both levels of government.

Ottawa’s Bill C-5, which allows the federal government to speed up approvals for developments with the potential to boost the economy, and Ontario’s Bill 5, which empowers the province to suspend municipal and provincial bylaws if they interfere with preferred building projects, were passed in June.

Both governments have argued those powers are necessary to bolster economic growth, as Canada faces down the United States in a continuing trade war. But First Nations leaders and other Indigenous associations have railed against the laws as overreaches that will deny them a say in energy and mining projects that could impact their communities.

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Two First Nations setting up encampment near proposed bridge to Ring of Fire

On Tuesday, a coalition of chiefs and community members from James Bay territory gathered on the Attawapiskat River. They arrived by float planes and boats, some adorned with community flags flapping in the choppy winds, tied to stick poles.

The meeting took place at the location of a new encampment set up on the shared territory of Neskantaga First Nation and Attawapiskat First Nation in protest against a lack of consent to an all-season road crossing as part of the Ring of the Fire development.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said he will use his new powers to deem the Ring of Fire, a region that has been touted for its mineral potential, a special economic zone. The protesters have said they will not permit anyone to use the crossing without their consent.

“The Attawapiskat River is not a corridor for extraction – it is a lifeline. Our ancestors are buried along its shores, our children learn from its currents, and we will defend it through any means necessary,” Chief Gary Quisess of the Neskantaga First Nation said in a previous statement.

Further west, near Lake Superior, Chief Louis Kwissiwa of Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg led a long weekend protest on the Trans-Canada Highway, where he and other community members have been since Monday.

In a social-media post, the First Nation community posted photos of protesters with red placards with messages such as “Kill Bill 5 and C-5” and “Protect our Rights.”

In Toronto, just north of Queen’s Park and not far from a Canada Day celebration on the front lawn of the legislature, hundreds gathered with signs demanding lawmakers “Kill Bill 5″ and criticizing Premier Ford.

“It violates Indigenous rights, it breaks treaty agreements and it creates an environment for industry to fast-track projects into community, into nations, without our consent,” argued Tori Cress, Idle No More Ontario chapter co-founder and a rally organizer.

A spokesperson for Dominic LeBlanc, the Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and One Canadian Economy, responded to the concerns of rally attendees and those meeting at the Northern Ontario encampment.

The federal legislation “will remove trade barriers, expedite nation-building projects, and unleash economic growth, with Indigenous partnership at the centre of this growth,” Gabriel Brunet said in an e-mailed statement Tuesday.

“Our government understands that Indigenous Peoples have the right to determine their future. That is why the Act acknowledges section 35 rights as constitutionally protected, and considers Indigenous consultation and partnership as integral.”

A spokesperson for Premier Ford did not respond to a request for comment.

Serena Mendizabal, a protester from Six Nations of the Grand River, said the federal and provincial bills “are created to bulldoze our rights as Indigenous people.”

As Canada moves forward to consider projects of national interest under Bill C-5, Ms. Mendizabal said she anticipates Indigenous territory is “up for grabs” if critics do not push back against the legislation now.