The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) joins First Nations communities in condemning the passage of Bill 5, legislation that violates First Nations sovereignty, guts workers’ rights, and greenlights corporate overreach under the guise of “Special Economic Zones”.
On Wednesday, we joined First Nations leaders, community members, and labour allies as the government rammed Bill 5 through ignoring urgent, repeated calls from First Nations leadership. Our commitment doesn’t end there. We will continue meaningful engagement and, most importantly, take direction from First Nations communities on what comes next.
This is not what reconciliation looks like. Reconciliation does not mean bulldozing over consent. It does not mean misleading First Nations leaders. It does not mean consulting after the damage is done. This government has broken trust, broken treaties, and broken any pretense of a respectful relationship with First Nations peoples.
Truth and Reconciliation means upholding treaties- not shredding them. It means respecting sovereignty, not steamrolling it with corporate bulldozers. Bill 5 does the opposite. It’s disrespectful, dangerous, and it’s disgraceful.
Doug Ford’s government is carving out lawless zones for profit, where environmental protections, labour rights, and community voices are being sidelined. That’s not economic development. That’s colonization playing out in real time.
Doug Ford didn’t even bother to show up for the vote. His government failed to acknowledge the First Nations community members including survivors, land defenders, and the rightful stewards of this land who travelled from across the province to be heard. The Ford government deliberately shut the door on any meaningful engagement before passing this legislation.
We are calling on Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation of Ontario, Greg Rickford to resign immediately. You cannot claim to honour reconciliation while actively betraying First Nations communities. There is no trust, no respect, and no legitimacy left in his role.
The OFL will join First Nations communities in this fight: in the courts, on the land, and across this province. As Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said: “We will meet you on the ground.” If this government thinks they’ve won, they’re in for a wake-up call.
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