Following Bill 5 becoming law in Ontario in July, Amnesty International is calling on the provincial government to repeal it. The law would see the creation of “special economic zones” where critical provincial laws, including those protecting endangered species, clean water, and consultation with Indigenous Nations, may be suspended to fast-track development.
In defence of Bill 5, Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters that First Nations “can’t just keep coming hat in hand all the time to the government”. Although Premier Ford has since apologized for his offensive and racist words, they reveal a worldview in which Indigenous Peoples are seen as obstacles to economic development, rather than as sovereign Nations with constitutionally and internationally protected rights.