Indigenous Peoples Affirm Their Right to Be and Demand Withdrawal of Anti-Social Legislation
Actions Across Ontario Oppose Bill C-5 and Bill 5
Since June, protests have been underway against federal Bill C-5 and Ontario Bill 5, both of which represent a broad attack on the social and natural environments.
Queen's Park, July 26
Okiniwak, an organization of Indigenous youth hosted a joint rally
with Mahmo Inninuwuk Wiibuseego-Stamok, and Youth Rising Together, two
other youth-led Indigenous groups, to oppose Bill C-5 and Ontario Bill
5.
Parliament Hill, July 17
Thunder Bay, June 12
An estimated 300 people attended a rally in front of the constituency
office of Kevin Holland, the MPP for Thunder Bay–Atikokan and Associate
Minister of Forestry and Forestry Products, to oppose Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing the Economy Act.
The minister was conveniently
absent and told his staff that they could not come out of their office
to listen to the concerns of his constituents. People from many First
Nations, their allies, environmentalists and folks from many sectors
came out to express their grievances about this omnibus bill.
Speakers pointed out that contrary to Holland's statements to the
press that Bill 5 is not about taking away rights, that is exactly what
it is doing. Bill 5 will significantly erode Indigenous rights,
environmental protection and the rule of law, they said.
Kenora, June 9
A group of First Nations from the Treaty 3 area gathered outside Ontario Minister of Indigenous Affairs Greg Rickford's constitency office in Kenora on June 9, calling for the repeal of Ontario's Bill 5 and for Rickford's resignation.
Timmins, June 6
Canada Day Actions Defend Indigenous Rights and Rights of All
From Vancouver Island to Newfoundland and Labrador actions including
rallies, conferences, picnics and car rallies were held on July 1 to
express the commitment of Canadians and Quebeckers to uphold Indigenous
rights, to denounce legislation that will cause harm to people and to
the environment
and serve the U.S. war machine, and to demand that Canada meets it
obligations under Canadian and international law to stop the
U.S./Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Toronto
Two events were held on the grounds of the provincial legislature at Queen's Park on July 1 to denounce the racist Canadian state and its ongoing violations of the hereditary and treaty rights of Indigenous Peoples across Canada, as well as violation of the rights of all Canadians and Quebeckers in new legislation, Bill 5 in Ontario, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025, and the Carney government's Bill C-5, An Act to Enact Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Build Canada Act.
The first was a morning rally and a short march organized by
Indigenous youth of the Okiniwak Movement, which comprises youth from
the Nishnawbe Aski Nation in northern Ontario and Indigenous
communities in southern Ontario. The event began at the Okiniwak
encampment just north of the Ontario
Legislature where, for more than 27 days, youth have been camping to
protest first Ontario Bill 5 and now also federal Bill C-5, keeping a
sacred fire.
Okiniwak encampment
Speaking
at the rally, a representative of the Okiniwak Movement noted that the
youth are the Seventh Fire generation and have taken up their social
responsibility in light of the teachings of Anishinaabe Prophecy, to
rebuild their nations after centuries-long colonial oppression and
genocidal policies of the Canadian state. He noted that the Crown has
never upheld its treaty obligations and agreements. This is evidenced by
the way both the federal Carney government and Ontario Ford government
are imposing Bill C-5 and Bill 5, respectively. The speakers pledged to
build the movement to ensure that the federal and provincial governments
cannot carry out their threats against the Indigenous Peoples in the
north, particularly with developments in the Ring of Fire where the
people have lived since time immemorial and rely on the land and the
waters for their well-being.
A youth from the Oneida Nation of the Thames, a member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, pointed out that well before Confederation, Indigenous Peoples had their own laws and systems of governance. There were also treaties between the Crown and Indigenous Peoples such as the Silver Covenant Chain, The Great Peace of Montreal, also known as the Treaty of 1701 signed between the Iroquois Confederacy and the French, as well as the Dish with One Spoon agreement and others. Canadian governments have repeatedly violated these treaties and "we won't have it," she said, adding "We are the First Peoples of this land. We are still here -- sovereign nations."
Nishnawbe
Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chief Anna Betty Achneepineskum told the rally
that her grandfather took part in the negotiation of Treaty Nine signed
between the Crown and the Cree of the James Bay and Hudson's Bay
regions. She noted that in those negotiations the Crown also came with
a
written document to be signed without any input from the First Nations
and noted that the same thing is being done with Bill 5 and Bill C-5.
She hailed the fighting spirit of the youth who are carrying on the
fight for Indigenous rights and sovereignty. She pointed out that
Indigenous Peoples have
no issue with development and prosperity, but they will not be swept
aside and their rights and demands disrespected.
Following the speeches participants marched to the front of the legislature to the statue of John A. MacDonald. At the base of the statue youth denounced the ongoing colonial policies of the Canadian and Ontario governments, pointing out that while governments fast-track projects like mining and road construction in the Ring of Fire, northern Indigenous communities have been on boil water advisories for decades, without adequate health care, housing and education. Many youth are driven to suicide because of the oppression and refusal of governments to uphold their treaty and human rights obligations. It has to stop right now, they emphasized. The morning action concluded back at the encampment.
The second action was organized by Idle No More Ontario, starting at 2:00 pm. Hundreds, including union members and people from all walks of life joined the Indigenous youth for a march and rally. Speaking at the rally before the march, Tori Cress, Idle No More Ontario Chapter co-founder, called for the repeal of the federal and provincial laws that violate Indigenous sovereignty and treaty rights and agreements, harm the natural environment and endanger all the people of Turtle Island.
Eve
Saint, a Wet'suwet'en land defender and financial divestment campaigner
for Gidimt'en Checkpoint, denounced the campaign of terror of the RCMP
paramilitary force against Wet'suwet'en land defenders in BC. She said
that it is the resistance of the Indigenous Peoples and Canadians that
is key
to opposing the new laws that Canada and provincial legislatures have
passed.
Other speakers emphasized the ties between the Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the Palestinian people in their common fight for their right to be, for justice and peace.
Following the speeches, participants marched south past the Ontario government's Canada Day "festivities" chanting Kill Bill 5!, No Means No! No Justice, No Peace! and other slogans.
As marchers attempted to continue south down University Avenue police attacked and arrested three people and forced the march to take a different route, east on College Street. Round dances were held to rally the support of passers-by, with several people joining the march from the sidewalks, fists raised in support.
The march ended back at the Okiniwak encampment where the organizers declared the actions a success and called on everyone to engage their colleagues, friends and neighbours to build the campaign for the repeal of Bills 5 and C-5.
Northern Ontario
On the Attawapiskat River, July 1
On July 1, chiefs and community members from James Bay territory gathered on the Attawapiskat River at a new encampment on the shared territory of the Neskantaga First Nation and Attawapiskat First Nation demanding the repeal of Bill 5 and plans to fast-track roads and mining in the Ring of Fire. An all-season road is planned which would cross the Attawapiskat River. Protesters say 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.
First
Nation leadership that attended the gathering included Chief Elizabeth
Kataquapit of Fort Albany FN, Chief Sylvia Koostachin-Metatawabin of
Attawapiskat FN, Chief Gary Quisses of Neskantaga FN, Chief Hosea
Wesley of Kashechewan FN and Grand Chief Leo Friday of Mushkegowuk
Council, which
represents First Nations on the James Bay coast in northeastern
Ontario. All the leaders stood on the bank of the Attawapiskat River
surrounded by official flags from their communities to show their
support and address the gathering to a live streamed audience.
At another location, near Lake Superior, Chief Louis Kwissiwa of Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg led a week-long protest on the Trans-Canada Highway, which started on June 30. Chief Kwissiwa posted on social media: "Ontario and Canada have no jurisdiction to impose these unconstitutional legislations that violate Indigenous rights, our sovereignty, and the protections of our traditional territories. These bills impact the environment, Aboriginal rights that are constitutionally enshrined, workers' rights and violate the Canadian Constitution Act of 1982." He called on everyone to join in, saying, "Friends and allies, it's not just an Indigenous issue. These undemocratic pieces of legislation impact all Canadians."
Montreal
More than 200 people, mainly youth, gathered on July 1 in front of the Radio-Canada building to demand that Bill 97, An Act Mainly to Modernize the Forest Regime, be withdrawn and that Bill C-5, An Act to Enact Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Build Canada Act, be repealed.
Placards, banners and flags echoed this theme, highlighting the fact that it is the unceded ancestral territories of Indigenous peoples that are being sacrificed to satisfy the pursuit of maximum profit by large private interests: Defend Hereditary Rights!, End Colonial Justice!, For an Economy that Humanizes the Natural and Social Environment!, Our Natural Resources For the People, Not the Oligarchs!, Bill 97: The Legault Government Must Be Stopped!, Together, Mamo, Mamu, Against Bill 97! Our Children's Future is Not For Sale!
Speakers reminded the crowd that on July 1, Canada Day, there is
nothing to celebrate about the Canadian state founded in 1867 on the
genocide of Indigenous Peoples who have occupied the territory that is
Canada since time immemorial. On the contrary, said one speaker,
Indigenous Peoples have every reason to mourn today for all the young
victims of residential schools and the missing and murdered Indigenous
women and girls.
She recalled that "today, this genocide no longer takes the form of rifles and residential schools, but has a completely different face. It takes the form of the slow and systematic dispossession of our unceded lands." This is clearly evident in the Carney government's Bill C-5 and Bill 97 of the Legault government.
Regarding Bill 97, speakers reiterated the importance of the boreal forest for maintaining biodiversity and essential to ensuring the vitality of all living species, including human beings. They emphasized the vital role of forests in storing carbon to counteract the devastating effects of climate change, including increasingly frequent and intense heat waves. They highlighted the destructive role of large forestry companies, which have free rein to carry out even more clear-cutting while replanting with a single commercial tree species, which contributes to the spread and intensity of forest fires.
The main Radio-Canada building was targeted by the organizers to denounce the state-owned broadcaster's lack of coverage of the past and present actions of Indigenous land defenders and their allies.
A representative of Mothers at the Front praised the initiative to hold these marches, which are not only an opportunity to reaffirm the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Quebec, but also the rights of all peoples around the world who are also resisting.
The participants then walked to Place Émilie-Gamelin, along Ste-Catherine Street, past shops and outdoor restaurants. Many passers-by and terrace patrons greeted the marchers by taking photos, joining them, or raising their fists to show their support. The march ended with organizers inviting everyone to join in traditional dances performed to the sound of drums.
Quebec City
On June 29 a militant action was organized by Intifada QC and Triangle Québec in opposition to a picnic held near Quebec City's De Bergerville Park to celebrate the colonial confederation day. The picnic was hosted by Liberal MPs Jean-Yves Duclos, MP for Québec Centre and Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, and Joël Lightbound, MP for Louis-Hébert and Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement. The protesters chanted No Picnics During a Genocide! They denounced the U.S./Zionist genocide and the Carney government for its complicity in the genocide.
The call for action was very clear: "Mark Carney claims that Canada
is 'the most European country outside of Europe.' He supports the idea
of a 'Zionist Palestinian state' and proposes increasing military
spending to five per cent of Canada's GDP, or $150 billion a year, even
though we are not at
war with anyone. Meanwhile, the government turns a blind eye to an
ongoing genocide in Gaza, continues to steal Indigenous land here, and
leaves Palestinians living in Canada without health insurance or social
assistance.
"While we are invited to celebrate Canada with picnics and fireworks, we cannot ignore the profound injustices unfolding before our eyes. Celebrating in this context? It simply makes no sense."
During the protest, speakers denounced the picnic held while Canada continues to export goods for the Israeli military through the U.S.
They reiterated that international law requires not arming a state likely to commit human rights violations. The International Criminal Court has ruled that the Zionists are presumed guilty of such crimes, even genocide, and has warned that states that collaborate with them will also be prosecuted.
The protesters demanded a two-way embargo, not only on arms, and an end to all collaboration with this genocidal state, whether direct or indirect. They denounced the hypocrisy and impunity of the Liberal government, as well as of the two MPs who organized the picnic. They provided detailed information about all government actors and companies collaborating with the Zionists. They denounced the Israeli Occupation Forces in Gaza for killing starving people desperately seeking to collect flour, and for lacing the flour with sand and drugs.
Speakers denounced colonialism, apartheid, and the genocide against the
Palestinian people, in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as attacks
against Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Congo, Sudan, Mali, Haiti, and other
countries. They also denounced Canadian mining companies and their
destructive activities, fueling war and aggression.
A speaker who denounced the genocide against First Nations by the Canadian state listed the names of all the residential schools in Quebec that have been ignored to this day and which the Canadian government refuses to investigate. These children are also those of Gaza, she said.
Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act, which was passed under closure, was also denounced, as was Bill C-2, An Act respecting certain measures relating to the security of the border between Canada and the United States and respecting other related security measures. Bill C-2 denies the right to asylum, contrary to international law, and betrays Canada's promise to welcome refugees, targeting people of African, Arab and Muslim origin.
Several people joined the picnic to denounce the crimes of the
Canadian state against the Palestinian people and against the
Indigenous Peoples, Canadians and Quebeckers, speaking for several
minutes, denouncing the Liberal government's vision of Canada.
Idle No More Demands Full Repeal of All 2025 Federal and Provincial Legislation that Infringes on Indigenous Peoples' Right to Self-Determination
The following call for the July 1 rally at Queen's Park in Toronto was issued by Idle No More Toronto, Idle No More Ontario and Idle No More on June 26 under the title, "Unleashing Anishinaabe Matriarchal Relationships, Roles, Responsibilities, and Reciprocity for Climate Justice."
Idle No More Toronto and Ontario chapters demand a full repeal of
provincial Bill 5 (Ontario), Bill 6 (Nova Scotia), Bill 97 (Quebec),
Bill 54 (Alberta), Bills 14 and 15 (BC), and federal Bill C-5, and Bill
C-2. The use of the nationalist call-to-arms "Elbows Up" is a Trojan
horse intended to
bulldoze internationally recognized Indigenous Rights and to streamline
so-called Canada's economy in its race to build itself up as a global
energy and mineral superpower.
Our traditional territories hold 34 of the critical minerals considered essential for the global energy transition. These provincial and federal bills will result in an escalation in exploitation that will continue to create sacrifice zones with negative impacts on human health and once pristine biodiverse territories – all for temporary, mostly male-dominated jobs and short-term economic gains for giant corporations.
Canada continues to lead the way in violating Indigenous Rights, creating irreparable harm to our shared waterways, the land, the precarious biodiversity, and puts Indigenous bodies on the frontline of destruction in our traditional territories.
In response to the full-scale legislative attack on the actual Title, Inherent and Treaty Rights Holders, we call on the grassroots people to push back against this monumental infringement of Indigenous, environmental and labour rights that's been reframed as Canada's economic pushback to Trump's tariffs. The last time we saw legislation this damaging to Indigenous Rights, the water, our homelands, and Indigenous bodies was Harper's Bill C-45, the Jobs and Growth Act and Bill C-38, the Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act.
We call on all citizens on our shared traditional territories to actively resist the systems that continue to harm Indigenous communities, our water, our land, and our future generations and to root yourselves in solidarity with Indigenous communities and nations. [...]
Land acknowledgments aren't enough; we are in a crucial time that requires an immediate response and actionable allyship. Indigenous communities and nations are still evacuated far away from their homes, many in different provinces from where they fled, while wildfires are still raging across Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, BC and the Yukon, as reported by Natural Resources Canada's map.
We are up against an unfettered capitalist system trying to rape the earth of every last mineral and use every last drop of clean water, leaving nothing but a polluted planet in its wake. With extreme weather events making headlines all year round, and as we head into another summer predicted to be the hottest one yet, climate change caused by mega resource extraction is a reality that can no longer be denied.
Our youth are no longer asking but demanding meaningful and transformative change because it is them standing on the front line of climate change, extreme weather alerts, wildfires, and evacuation displacements, all while reclaiming our languages, cultural practices and rebuilding our family circles. We contribute the least to the devastation of the planet while being impacted the hardest and first.
We will no longer be pushed off our traditional territories in favour of resource and mining exploration companies, which we've noticed have now been given approval from two levels of government to proceed without the free, prior, and informed consent of the rights and title holders.
To that end, we will defend ourselves, our land, our water, and our right to exist as our Ancestors before us have, since time immemorial:
- We encourage all Indigenous matriarchs to hold healing spaces and lead water ceremonies across and on the land.
- We encourage all grassroots Indigenous Peoples to research and document your family lineage, ancestral presence, use of the land, and create documentation of your kinship ties to the land.
- We encourage Indigenous researchers to read "Living Proof: The Essential Data-Collection Guide for Indigenous Use-and-Occupancy Map Surveys" and put it into practice with others within your community and traditional territories.
- We encourage all grassroots Indigenous Peoples to read the "Getting Organized Booklet," a Truth Before Reconciliation Publication, 2020 and familiarize themselves with [the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)] Article 18 so that we can restore our sovereignty from so-called Canada's Indian Act Band Councils, to where it truly belongs. Our self-determination belongs to our Peoples without requiring the settler state's approval stamp.
- Support Indigenous Leadership: Organizations like the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada (IPAC) and the Neskantaga First Nation have publicly opposed Ontario's Bill 5. You can help by amplifying their messaging, attending and/or sharing their rallies and public education events.
- We demand a full repeal of all the 2025 provincial and federal legislation – passed and pending – that prioritizes colonial profit while turning a blind eye to the fundamental disregard for the Treaty and constitutional rights of the First Peoples of this land you call home.
National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebrated in Gatineau
On days dedicated to Indigenous Peoples, including during National Indigenous History Month, Indigenous Peoples affirm their right to be and assert their ancestral and treaty rights. National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21 is no exception. In 1982, the National Indian Brotherhood, now the Assembly of First Nations, called for the creation of National Aboriginal Solidarity Day. It wasn't until 1996 that the Governor General of Canada declared June 21 National Indigenous Peoples Day.
National Indigenous Peoples Day was celebrated this year in Gatineau with speeches, Indigenous food and craft booths, dancing and musical performances. The event was organized by the First Peoples Innovation Centre and the Maniwaki Native Friendship Centre, with the collaboration of the City of Gatineau, which set up Place Laval for the occasion. A spokesperson for the First Peoples Innovation Centre, in her opening address, said the day was an opportunity for Canadians and Quebeckers to celebrate the heritage, traditions and knowledge of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. "The summer solstice reflects our intimate ties to the land and to each other," she said.
A spokesperson for the Maniwaki Native Friendship Centre, Charlotte Commonda, spoke concretely about the challenges facing Maniwaki's Anishinaabe communities. The very creation of the Friendship Centre grew out of a need for a place where people could practice their culture, traditions and languages. The centre offers, among other services, a health clinic and a preschool program for children newborn to six years of age. She explained that when she was younger she herself had to travel two hours between Gatineau and Maniwaki to study at Heritage College. Even today, children have to travel two hours to go to high school. She said that parents in Indigenous communities want the best for their children, they want them to be able to be part of the social economy. To do this, young people have to leave their communities and risk losing their identity and language. She said that thousands of Indigenous people now live in Gatineau to study or work. In her opinion, because of these realities and the need to share and celebrate Indigenous culture with everyone, more celebrations of this kind are needed year-round.
Asserting Rights of Indigenous Peoples Puts Need for New Nation-to-Nation Arrangements on Agenda
This year's National Indigenous Peoples Day took place in a context where Indigenous Peoples are expressing their opposition to various bills that the governments of Canada, Quebec and provinces are passing or have passed to advance projects in the name of the "national interest" and the like. The new Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, Francis Verreault-Paul, has warned about the dangers of federal Bill C-5. In Quebec, he denounced the passage under closure of Bill 69 which gives Hydro-Québec a free hand to increase its electricity production. He also opposed Bill 97, An Act mainly to modernize the forest regime. In the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and Mauricie regions, Indigenous communities have set up roadblocks on forestry roads to express their opposition to Bill 97. Verreault-Paul brings out that Bill 97 is a step backwards in terms of respect for Indigenous Peoples' rights, biodiversity conservation and forest sustainability. He condemned the Legault government's continued refusal to integrate the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into its laws and policies. "There's a big step to be taken at the legislative level. We have reached that point as a society," he said.
In an article by Martin Papillon published in La Presse a few days before National Indigenous Peoples Day, the author explains that not only is the Quebec government refusing to adopt the UNDRIP, it is also perpetuating policies that run counter to it. According to the author, Legault fears that it will give First Nations and Inuit a "right of veto" over development projects, or that it will limit Quebec's full legislative jurisdiction over its territory.
"However, these fears are unfounded," explains the author. "The UNDRIP does not call into question the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. Rather, it aims to rebalance relations by establishing certain limits on the power of states, just as charters of rights do for individuals."
Not only does Quebec refuse to commit to adopting legislation to implement the UNDRIP, explains the author, it too often ignores its principles in its actions. The government opposed the Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families all the way to the Supreme Court. This law, inspired by the UNDRIP, recognizes the right of Indigenous Peoples to manage their own youth protection services. Quebec sees this as an infringement of its exclusive jurisdiction.
Papillon points out that the UNDRIP was adopted in 2007 by the UN General Assembly, following a long process of negotiation between member states and Indigenous representatives, and that it acts as an international charter for Indigenous Peoples. It affirms their right to self-determination, to the preservation of their cultures and legal systems, and to participation in decisions that affect them. In particular, it enshrines the principle of free, prior and informed consent to any measure affecting their rights or territories.
The author concludes by saying, "If the Legault government is really considering a draft Constitution for Quebec, why not seize this historic opportunity to enshrine Quebec's commitment to the rights of First Nations and Inuit, explicitly incorporating the UNDRIP as the foundation of this relationship?"
(With files files from Wawatay News, Radio-Canada and La Presse. Photos: Attawapiskat First Nation, Okiniwak Movement. TML. Kataquapit, L. Kwissiwa, )
This article was published in
Volume 55 Number 7 - July-August 2025
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2025/Articles/M550074.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca