I am deeply opposed to the…

I am deeply opposed to the proposed Species Conservation Act, 2025 and the changes introduced through Bill 5 and Bill 56. This legislation is a betrayal of both environmental stewardship and reconciliation.

The government cannot claim to protect Ontario’s future while disregarding the rights of Indigenous peoples and the lands they have cared for since time immemorial. Weakening the duty to consult and shifting decision-making power to Ministers erases Indigenous voices from the very conversations that should centre them.

A healthy economy cannot exist on stolen or degraded land. True prosperity depends on living ecosystems and on relationships built through respect, reciprocity, and consent — not exploitation.

I call on the Ontario government to withdraw or substantially revise this proposal to:
• Honour the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the duty to consult and accommodate.
• Restore strong, science-based protections for species and habitats.
• Recognize that reconciliation and environmental protection are inseparable from real economic sustainability.

Without justice and a thriving planet, there is no economy.