Indigenous land defenders prepare to protect land and waters as Canadian province passes Bill 5 “special economic zone” legislation

Published by Brent Patterson on June 5, 2025

Photo: “Indigenous land defenders are leading the fight to protect lands and waters from Bill 5. Today mothers from Grassy Narrows were removed from the legislature today trying to send their message that their lands and rights will not be trampled #StopBill5 #TreatiesOverBill5” Photo by Free Grassy: Grassy Narrows Solidarity.

The Canadian Press reports: “Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government has given itself the power to suspend provincial and municipal laws for chosen projects in areas it deems to have economic importance, citing the need to speed up development of mines, but First Nations warn confrontation is brewing.”

That article adds: “The legislation will create so-called ‘special economic zones’, where the province could suspend laws in order to speed up projects such as mines, and the government has said the Ring of Fire would be the first such zone.”

Shut down the Ring of Fire

Chris Moonias, the former chief of Neskantaga First Nation, says: “We’re going to shut down the Ring of Fire. Whatever that means, whatever we can do, we’re going to shut it down. I promise you that.”

Prior to the passage of the legislation, the Canadian Press had reported: “First Nations say the bill tramples their rights and ignores their concerns and they have warned they may blockade roads and railways in protest.”

Grand Chief Fiddler of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation has previously told CBC News: “There will be conflict on the ground, and those that oppose it will most likely end up in jail. That is where we’re heading.”

The risk of OPP violence

In response to the warning of Indigenous blockades, Premier Ford says: “You can’t break the law. Simple as that. … They need to move on or they’ll be dealt with appropriately.”

Sudbury.com notes: “[NDP member of the provincial legislature Sol Mamakwa asks] ‘What is the OPP [Ontario Provincial Police] going to do to the First Nations, once they start fighting on the land? That’s the scary part.’”

That article adds: “One of the people who spoke at Monday’s [June 2] anti-Bill 5 rally at Queen’s Park was the sister of Dudley George.”

“[Mamakwa has cautioned] ‘Dudley George was a land defender who was killed by the Ontario Provincial Police for participating in the occupation of Ipperwash Provincial Park. If this government does not rescind Bill 5, First Nations are united and ready to defend their rights on the land. I ask the premier: Is your government ready to face the disruption that Bill 5 will cause?’”

30^th anniversary of OPP killing of Dudley George

George was killed by an OPP sniper on September 6, 1995.

On September 10, 1995, the Peace Brigades International-North America Project (PBI-NAP) reported that it had received a verbal invitation to: “be observers for First Nations people if needed; be present during discussions between the different groups as a nonpartisan witness; do accompaniment for anyone fearing further violence on the part of the police; write nonpartisan reports on what we witness and hear.”

By July/August 1996, PBI-NAP reported: “PBI has made three more visits to the area of Ipperwash.”

PBI-Canada also recalls that the Ipperwash Inquiry that followed the murder of Dudley George was included recommendations on how Indigenous protests and occupations could be addressed to prevent the killing of another land defender.

The C-IRG as a “national best practice”

With the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG, now rebranded as CRU-BC) adopted as a “national best practice”, we express our concern about potential actions by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in response to peaceful Indigenous resistance to the Ring of Fire.

Critical minerals and weapons

The Government of Ontario has highlighted: “The region has long-term potential to produce chromite, cobalt, nickel, copper and platinum.”

In January 2025, US Department of Defense (DOD) News noted: “Secure sourcing of critical minerals is critical to the defense industrial base, which uses them to produce virtually every Defense Department system, from unmanned aerial systems and fighter jets to submarines, said Adam Burstein [technical director for strategic and critical materials in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy].”

Critical minerals including chromite can be used for aircraft engines, cobalt for munitions, high-temperature aerospace alloys, high-capacity batteries, nickel for armour plating in tanks and anti-aircraft firearms, batteries for propulsion and storage, copper for wiring, guidance systems, ammunition and naval vessels, and platinum is used in the production of missiles, jet engines, and a vast array of military electronics.

Voices of land defenders

We are looking to the voices of Neskantaga First Nation Chief Gary Quisess, as well as former chief Chris Moonias; the First Nations Land Defence Alliance; Hannah Sewell, co-chair of Ontario’s First Nations Young People’s Council; Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation; among others.

We will also be looking to Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) and Free Grassy: Grassy Narrows Solidarity.

We continue to follow this.