NDP questions Carney over First Nation's $100M lawsuit against Brookfield subsidiary

Brett Forester · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 21, 2025 6:32 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Federal New Democrats are criticizing Prime Minister Mark Carney implicit a First Nation successful Ontario's $100-million suit against a second-tier subsidiary of his erstwhile firm, Brookfield Asset Management.

In 2022, Mississauga First Nation (MFN) and its main sued Brookfield BRP Canada Corp. and the Ontario authorities implicit alleged breaches of Indigenous rights and pact obligations successful the operation and cognition of 4 dams connected the Mississagi River.

The First Nation, located adjacent Lake Huron's northbound enactment 200 kilometres northwest of Toronto, alleges the Brookfield BRP-owned dams "have devastated MFN, its territory and quality to workout its rights," according to Ontario Superior Court papers obtained by CBC Indigenous.

The dams were antecedently operated by Ontario Hydro but sold to Brookfield BRP successful 2002. When the suit was archetypal filed, Carney was vice seat and caput of modulation investing astatine Brookfield Asset Management, an archived web leafage says. 

The First Nation says it was ne'er consulted earlier the sale.

"MFN has been and continues to beryllium profoundly adversely affected by the dams and volition beryllium for decades to come," alleges a Feb. 20, 2025 amended connection of claim.

None of the allegations person been proven successful court.

Mississauga Chief Brent Niganobe said the assemblage would person preferred to resoluteness the issues without litigation.

"We asked not to go this way and to effort to bash things connected an adjacent footing, which is what Carney preaches and particularly with his backstage company," Niganobe said Friday.

The NDP says the quality shows a request for Carney to disclose imaginable conflicts of involvement and projects he's connected to.

"There's a batch of questions astir his clip astatine Brookfield and we person virtually nary answers," said Manitoba MP Niki Ashton during a virtual quality league connected Friday.

In the quality conference, Ashton was joined by the NDP's campaigner for the riding of Sault Ste. Marie–Algoma, Laura Mayer, a subordinate of Mississauga First Nation.

The Prime Minister's Office has not responded to a petition for comment. Brookfield Asset Management besides hasn't responded.

Brookfield Asset Management has a 61 per cent involvement successful Brookfield Renewable Partners, which is the genitor institution of Brookfield BRP, besides known arsenic Evolugen, according to lobbying records. Brookfield BRP owns 49 renewable powerfulness facilities successful Ontario. 

Asked wherefore it's just to knock Carney fixed the evident region betwixt the genitor and the subsidiary, Ashton said Carney "was successful a enactment relation astatine Brookfield and the subordinate stops with the leader."

Brookfield BRP is defending the lawsuit and denies the allegations. The dams were built respective decades agone and operate subject to Crown oversight under a broad regulatory and ineligible regime, says an amended defence filed March 3, 2025.

The institution denies it has immoderate work to consult the First Nation, denies the plaintiffs person suffered damages, and says the First Nation does not person capable proprietary rights to the allegedly affected lands.

Election promises

Carney hasn't said overmuch astir his attack to Indigenous radical since being sworn successful but successful his 2021 book, Values, provides a clue Carney says immoderate efforts connected sustainability "must beryllium successful concern with Indigenous people" arsenic portion of a larger economical reconciliation project.

"More fundamentally, our attack to sustainability should gully connected the contented of Indigenous people," the erstwhile cardinal banker writes. 

"Indigenous communities cognize that biology and economical considerations are not autarkic factors to beryllium weighed against 1 another. They are intrinsically linked."

It's a bully happening to accidental but Carney's authorities volition request to amusement it, said Niganobe.

'If that's what helium believes in, past that's what helium should practise. And his government, that's what they should practise," helium said.

"We shouldn't beryllium taking a backmost spot to the different things that are going on."

On a March 18 halt successful Nunavut, Carney promised to unafraid the Arctic, "unleash the North's economical potential, and reaffirm reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples."

In a quality release, NDP MP for Nunavut Lori Idlout criticized Carney for announcing $6 cardinal for an early-warning radar strategy but conscionable $66 cardinal for lodging successful the territory.

"This is not acceptable. This is not what reconciliation is each about," she said.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre besides acceptable his sights connected the North recently, promising past period to physique a subject basal successful Nunavut to antagonistic overseas adversaries' interests successful the region.

Poilievre this week pledged to fast-track projects successful bluish Ontario's mineral-rich Ring of Fire region, drafting disapproval from the expansive main of Nishnawbe Aski Nation arsenic good arsenic immoderate praise from 2 First Nations successful the area.