First Nations leaders in northern Ontario say tariffs violate treaty rights, demand seat at table

Faith Greco · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 30, 2025 5:59 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

First Nations leaders successful bluish Ontario are pushing backmost against American and Canadian tariffs, arguing that these commercialized barriers disregard their pact rights and centuries-old commercialized routes. 

The Robinson Huron Waawiindamaagewin treaty radical says tariffs imposed by some governments should not use to the 21 First Nations wrong the Robinson Huron Treaty territory and is calling for designation of their long-standing economical independence.

Lake Huron Regional Chief Scott McLeod feels First Nations are being unopen retired of captious discussions that interaction their economies, contempt having well-established commercialized networks that predate Canada and the United States.

"There has been zero dialog with First Nations connected this contented some from a provincial and national voice," said McLeod, the erstwhile main of Nipissing First Nation. 

"We're not adjacent connected their radar erstwhile these talks happen, erstwhile we should beryllium astatine those tables with our pact partners, having those conversations."

Rodney Nahwegahbow, main of Whitefish River First Nation said the provincial and national governments are failing to admit First Nations arsenic "rights holders" alternatively than "stakeholders" successful decisions affecting their lands and resources.

"We are going to asseverate our rights successful immoderate decisions, policies oregon different affecting our land. So to enactment it bluntly, that includes each these imaginable tariffs and of course, our pact rights," helium said. 

Obligation of shared resources

First Nations person traded goods crossed what is present the Canada-U.S. borderline for centuries, moving items specified arsenic leather, crafts, baccy and accepted medicines.

McLeod points to the Jay Treaty of 1794, which recognized Indigenous rights to freely determination and commercialized crossed the borderline — though Canada has ne'er ratified it.

"What we bash person connected our broadside of the Canadian borderline is the pre-Confederation and post-Confederation treaties that happened, which mostly woody with the resources successful our territories," helium said. "That adds different furniture of complication to immoderate projected tariffs."

He says treaties, including the Robinson Huron Treaty of 1850, established a narration of assets gross sharing and agreed to stock the onshore successful speech for yearly payments.

Since the treaty's signing, northeastern Ontario has produced 1 of the largest nickel mining operations successful the world, alongside historical copper, uranium, lumber and sportfishing industries.

Treaty rights ignored amid commercialized war

"Our accepted territories present successful Robinson Huron, are truly being exploited," said Nahwegahbow. 

In effect to tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has imposed a 25 per cent tariff connected each energy exports and threatened to chopped disconnected America's nickel supply, should the commercialized warfare continue. 

"Premier Doug Ford takes this gallant basal connected Ontario's resources, but doesn't admit immoderate notation to the pact oregon the information that Ontario doesn't outright ain the resources," McLeod said.

McLeod and Nahwegahbow reason that if the authorities is collecting gross from tariffs connected First Nations resources, First Nations should person a stock of those funds.

"If there's immoderate tariffs placed connected those resources, past that has to translate, due to the fact that tariffs are conscionable different tax, which is simply a revenue," helium said. "And cipher is talking astir the thought that if those revenues are to beryllium shared, past those accrued tariffs oregon taxes should beryllium reflected successful payments to the First Nations."

McLeod besides points to Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution, which recognizes Indigenous and pact rights, adding that First Nations were not progressive successful the drafting of the Constitution.

"The 1 happening Canada has ne'er done, and astir apt volition ne'er do, is specify what those rights are," McLeod said. "So really, it's conscionable an bare container that Canada feels they person the jurisdiction to find what those rights are."

Global Affairs Canada has not responded to CBC's petition for comment.