Bills 5 and C-5 spur Six Nations teach-in on Haudenosaunee rights

Candace Maracle · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 26, 2025 1:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 26

Speakers astatine a Haudenosaunee assemblage event last play accidental they cognize their inherent rights and volition asseverate them if provincial oregon national authorities infringes upon them.

Protect the Tract, a Haudenosaunee-led biology initiative, organized a Solidarity Teach-in connected National Indigenous Peoples Day connected Six Nations of the Grand River, adjacent Hamilton, Ont., successful effect to Ontario's Bill 5 and Canada's Bill C-5.

Ontario passed Bill 5, a instrumentality aimed at speeding up the gathering of ample projects, peculiarly mines, connected June 4. Canada's Bill C-5, which gives furniture the quality to prime definite projects to velocity done the regulatory process, passed the House of Commons past week and is earlier the Senate.

Both person been criticized for allowing governments to disregard laws to expedite improvement and perchance infringe connected Indigenous rights.

Leroy Hill, caput for the Council of Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs and a Cayuga sub-chief, said astatine the lawsuit that it's Indigenous radical who volition wage the terms for bills' committedness of economic growth.

He said successful his 41 years moving with the accepted Haudenosaunee council, he's seen the assemblage enactment hard to reconnect with their traditions and regain their connection contempt the exploitation of their lands and water, shortage of onshore and lodging and deficiency of cleanable drinking h2o connected the Six Nations reserve.

"We'll proceed with that due to the fact that we cognize that's portion of our strengthening and if that intersects with these decisions [governments] person made; our radical volition not basal still," Hill said.

Terri Monture, who is Kanien'kehá ka, Wolf clan from Six Nations, and a unpaid with Protect the Tract, said some Bill 5 and C-5 could create trample Indigenous rights protected successful Canada's Constitution nether conception 35.

"We person inherent rights that we're going to workout and we're not acrophobic to workout them due to the fact that we person that inherent work to our coming generations, but besides to our ancestors," she said.

She said they person considered themselves stewards of the land, since the Haldimand Tract was granted to them successful 1784 for allying with the British during the American Revolution. The tract ran on astir 10 kilometres connected each broadside of the Grand River from its source around Waterhen, Ont., to Lake Erie, covering astir 384,451 hectares.

The onshore allotted to Six Nations has since dwindled to astir 19,425 hectares.

"Everything eastbound of the Number 6 road inactive on the Grand River was ne'er surrendered and was virtually squatted upon and past taken by the Crown and fixed to settlers," she said.

In 2021, Monture said the Confederacy chiefs declared a moratorium connected improvement connected the tract due to the fact that of the onshore quality that is earlier the courts.

She said Canada's instauration is predicated upon agreements and treaties similar these the Crown made with Indigenous nations.

Ford's comments bespeak a 'lack of awareness'

Last Wednesday Ontario Premier Doug Ford said of Bill 5, "This is similar handing an accidental connected a metallic platter to First Nations that, by the way, I person treated similar gold."

"When I archetypal came into office, I told [Indigenous Affairs] Minister (Greg) Rickford, 'Treat them well, springiness them what they need, immoderate they privation for them to prosper.' But there's going to beryllium a constituent that you can't conscionable support coming chapeau successful manus each the clip to the government, you've got to beryllium capable to instrumentality attraction of yourselves."

Ford apologized the pursuing time for his comments saying, "I get passionate due to the fact that I privation prosperity for their communities. I privation prosperity for their children and their grandchildren."

Rick Monture, who is Kanien'kehá ka, Turtle Clan from Six Nations and an associate professor successful Indigenous Studies astatine McMaster University successful Hamilton, said Ford's comments show a deficiency of consciousness astir pact relationships.

He said determination was often diplomatic mishandling and a deficiency of bully religion connected portion of settlers erstwhile they entered into these agreements, which continues to this day.

The Trump administration's tariffs is the latest happening that "gives Canada licence to say, 'OK, we request to utilize each the resources successful [our] ain country," without information of Indigenous rights, helium said.

He said successful Six Nations, it's land usage for improvement and h2o protections that are the biggest concerns from the bills.

Promises of prosperity by governments passing these bills are insincere, helium said. Land claims request to be addressed meaningfully alternatively of each authorities conscionable passing those obligations onto the adjacent government.