Idle No More 2.0 will be ‘fierce’ if Doug Ford moves ahead with Bill 5
First Nation leaders say new Ontario law lets developers avoid consultation
By: Jon Thompson
First Nations leaders in northern Ontario are vowing an “Idle No More 2.0” if the province passes Bill 5, legislation designed to speed up development without clear rules on Indigenous consultation and accommodation.
“If and when this becomes law, say next week or after that, there will be fierce resistance from our side,” Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said on Thursday, representing the chiefs of 49 communities in the province’s far north. “I know my dear friend Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige has said the same thing.
“This is what we’re looking at: Idle No More 2.0.”
Debassige urged Premier Doug Ford to immediately withdraw the controversial Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, saying, “we caution the provincial government that should Bill 5 proceed in its current form, we will be idle no more.”
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As Canada’s politicians try to push through regressive legislation that will devastate the Indigenous communities’ way of life and the environment, rely on Ricochet Media to provide fact-based reporting and cutting-edge analysis on the stories you need to know.
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‘Watershed moment’: Provincial unions are coming together to support northern First Nations protesting Bill 5
The controversial Ontario legislation is expected to pass today
By: Jon Thompson
The Ontario government has now passed its controversial Bill 5 despite widespread objections from First Nations and environmental groups. Now representatives of organized labour say their fight is only beginning.
First Nation leaders say the Protect Ontario By Unleashing Our Economy Act will trample their treaty rights to free, prior, and informed consent on major project development.
“I think this is a watershed moment where people will recognize who is fighting for workers and Indigenous peoples: it was us. We are the heroes we’ve been waiting for,” says OFL president Laura Walton. “And it’s time we actually embrace that and connect with our power and move forward and we can do this – every single one of us.”
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The Ricochet team wins big at the Canadian Journalism Association awards!
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This week was the Canadian Journalism Association awards, a night where journalists from across the country come together and recognize the exceptional reporting done that makes a meaningful impact on the lives of people in communities from coast to coast to coast.
We are thrilled to congratulate Brandi Morin and Geordie Day for winning the gold CAJ Award for Broadcast +5 Mins for their stunning mini-doc, The Apache Stronghold standing in the way of a massive copper mine.
We also congratulate the talented Crystal Greene for winning the silver JHR + CAJ Award for Emerging Indigenous Journalist!
None of this award-winning journalism would be possible without your support, sign up as a monthly contributor today.
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Are you following In Bed with the Elephant yet?
This week our new podcast, hosted by the brilliant Adrian Harewood, hit a milestone! Thanks to you, there have now been 4000 downloads and counting.
In a time of uncertainty in media, it’s exciting to start a grassroots project and see it succeed — and we’re not done yet! Our team is working on more episodes coming up, with more fascinating guests digging into the issues you’re talking about.
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On the latest episode — The far right is having a moment.
Around the world, more and more democratic countries are electing fascist government. Across Europe, seven EU member states now have far-right parties within government.
In Canada, far right activism is also on the rise, and white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups are attracting tens of thousands of new followers, many of whom are young men. This week, the executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, Evan Balgord, sits down with Adrian to discuss the rise of the far right and white nationalist movements in Canada, and what the future might hold for them.
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Ricochet is a non-profit national media outlet with a mandate to serve the public interest. We publish investigative journalism that speaks truth to power, and incisive opinion that reflects the cultural and political diversity of our audience.
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