Nishnawbe Aski Nation calls on Doug Ford to retract Ring of Fire statement

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The Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) is demanding that Ontario Premier Doug Ford retract statements he made about developing an area called the Ring of Fire during an election stop.

“Premier Ford’s promise to ‘unlock’ the Ring of Fire and fast-track development is a direct attack on the Inherent, Treaty, and Aboriginal rights of First Nations who have governed and stewarded these lands since time immemorial,” said Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler in a statement released on Tuesday.

“These are not ‘Ontario’s minerals; they exist within our territories, and any attempt to dictate their development without our full and meaningful involvement is an overreach of provincial authority and represents a complete failure to understand and honour the relationship between the government and First Nations in Ontario.”

NAN is a political advocacy organization for 49 First Nations in northern Ontario, which includes the area known as the mineral-rich Ring of Fire.

On Feb. 22 as he campaigned in northern Ontario Ford promised to speed up mining approvals in the mineral-rich Ring of Fire. Provincial voters head to the polls on Feb. 27.

Speaking in Thunder Bay, Ford described the area as an “ace in the hole” in the face of possible tariffs from the U.S., an issue he has put front and centre throughout the snap campaign.

“To protect Ontario, to give us maximum leverage on the global stage, we have to get our critical minerals out of the ground, processed and shipped to the factory floors here in northern Ontario and across the province,” he said.

Ford has said that a re-elected Progressive Conservative government would push Ottawa to remove “unnecessary federal barriers and red tape” from major projects under provincial jurisdiction in order to “unlock the enormous economic potential” of the Ring of Fire.

He also promised Saturday to pour money into two programs aimed at boosting First Nations’ participation in projects in several sectors, including mining.

But Fiddler said “election promises do not equate to meaningful action, and First Nations do not operate on short-term political timelines.

“The unilateral will of the day’s government will not dictate the speed of development on our lands, and continuing to disregard our legal rights serves to reinforce the colonial and racist approach that we have always had to fight against.”

The Ring of Fire is a massive plot of land that potentially holds billions in sought-after minerals car batteries as an example. Some First Nations in the area are pro-development while others want more consultation.

A handful of First Nations are concerned about the environmental impact of development.

APTN News asked the Ontario Liberals and NDP how their parties would handle the Ring of Fire. The Liberals didn’t answer the question and the NDP didn’t respond.

While in Thunder Bay, Ford also promised to put millions into job creation for First Nations.

“While NAN acknowledges the investment in the Aboriginal Participation Fund and Ontario’s commitment to First Nations engagement, investment does not equate to consent for First Nations people,” Fiddler added in the statement.

“NAN calls on Premier Ford and the Ontario government to immediately retract these assertions and uphold the promises that the government made in Treaty that respects First Nations as full partners – not election pawns.”

https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/n ... statement/