MPP Sol Mamakwa calls on Ontario and Canada to respect the jurisdiction of First Nations

TREATY 3 TERRITORY – Ontario NDP Deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa (MPP for Kiiwetinoong) is standing in support of First Nations whose Inherent and Treaty rights continue to be violated by the Governments of Canada and Ontario.

Nine Treaty No. 9 First Nations are in a courtroom today because of the Ontario Government’s efforts to strike their legal case to have a court order that would enshrine their continued right to govern over their territories.

At the same time as the hearing was getting started, Prime Minister Carney and Premier Ford jointly announced an agreement to eliminate federal duplication, which was specifically framed in the context of ‘unlocking the Ring of Fire’.

For Mamakwa, these concurrent events are tied to the same core issue: jurisdiction over the land.

“In today’s announcement, Prime Minister Carney and Premier Ford continue to govern in a colonial way. Instead of recognizing the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the rights holding First Nations, they are trying to relegate First Nations to the status of ‘participants’ or ‘stakeholders.’ This contradicts the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples, which includes the right to free, prior and informed consent. Decision-making without consent is colonialism in action.”

Referencing the First Nations in the Ring of Fire area, PM Carney described this proposed set of mining projects as “an opportunity first and foremost for the people of Ontario, including Indigenous peoples resident in Ontario.”

Mamakwa counters his framing, maintaining that “First Nations people are not merely ‘residents’ impacted by the decisions of Ontario and Canada; First Nations have Inherent Rights to govern over their homelands, and the Treaties were entered into as agreements to share.”

“Development cannot happen without the free, prior and informed consent of the rights holders themselves. Ontario and Canada are obliged to respect the self-determination and jurisdiction of First Nations, which supercede the political objectives of these Governments, whether in the courts or on the land.”