I am opposed to the threat…

I am opposed to the threat to First Nations rights to maintain their jurisdiction over lands, water, air, resources, including surface and sub-surface rights and interests.

The Chiefs of the nine Matawa First Nations said “The proposed Better for People, Smarter for Business Act is deeply problematic for the Matawa Chiefs for a number of reasons. Notwithstanding the fact that the proposed bill, in its current omnibus form, covers a number of diverse and unrelated topics that were not brought forward in advance publicly for consultation, debate, and scrutiny— we oppose the proposed amendments in relation to the Ontario Mining Act as they impact on our pre-existing inherent rights embodied in our jurisdiction and also protected by 35(1) of the Canada Constitution Act, 1982."

Other key areas of concern shared by the Matawa Chiefs include:

The use of a proposed ‘red tape reduction’ bill to address Aboriginal consultation. Specifically, wording changes to sections 140, 141, and 143 of the Ontario Mining Act under the newly revised section proposed as AdvancedExploration and Mine Production – Closure Plans will give strengthened decision- making power under the discretion of the MENDM Director of Ontario’s ‘red tape reduction’ approach impedes on First Nations’ rights to provide free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) on legislation affecting a people group as stated in Article 19 of the United NationsDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

The lack of consideration for implications on the proposed repeal of the Far North Nowhere in Bill 132 is this process mentioned. When the Far North Act is repealed, all provisions and protections for First Nations in the far north will be stripped from the Mining Act. In April 2019, the Matawa Chiefs rejected the proposed repeal of the Far North Act.