London-area Grand Chief slams Ford's 'hat in hand' comments, says apology offers little relief

Ontario Premier Doug Ford's apology for controversial comments he made about First Nations has little value unless he recognizes the historical and legal context of why many communities lack resources to begin with, an Indigenous leader in southwestern Ontario says. 

On Thursday, Ford apologized for saying First Nations cannot "keep coming hat in hand to the government" for more money if they say no to mining projects. 

"I sincerely apologize for my words — not only if it hurt all the chiefs in that room, but all First Nations," Ford said. "I get passionate because I want prosperity for their communities. I want prosperity for their children and their grandchildren."

His initial remarks drew the ire of Joel Abram, Grand Chief of the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians (AIAI), based in London, who said Ford is "basically calling us beggars" and questions whether he's intentionally being ignorant of Indigenous history. 

"I don't think those remarks are very fitting in terms of historical context and reality and there's no real place for those kinds of remarks," said Abram.

"First Nations have always been behind in terms of getting left behind — and he's right, we should not be asking for handouts because we should have a lot more rights than we already do in terms of land and resources."

Ford's comments came on the eve of his meeting with several dozen chiefs who are part of Anishinabek Nation, representing 39 First Nations in the province. First Nations have been vocal in their opposition to the controversial Bill 5 which gives the province power to suspend provincial and municipal laws for chosen projects in areas it deems to have economic importance. 

First Nation leaders have spoken out saying the bill tramples their rights and ignores their concerns. However, the government said the bill is needed to speed up large projects, particularly mines, in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war.

Abram said First Nations aren't opposed to the federal and provincial governments' urgency to react and strengthen the economy, but it has to be done in a manner that respects First Nations' treaty rights, the environment and the democratic process. 

"What Bill 5 and Bill C-5 [the federal government's bill] does either intentionally or unintentionally is casting First Nations people, once again, as roadblocks to progress or not going along with the program," he said. 

Ford commits to being 'good treaty partner'

On Thursday, standing next to Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige, Ford publicly apologized for the hurt his words have caused. 

Debassige told reporters the premier has "owned what he said" and "corrected himself" for the comment, adding that Ford has also committed to working with First Nations as a good treaty partner.

Ford said he wants to work together with all levels of government and First Nations, and he will respect treaty rights and his duty to consult before moving ahead with any major projects. 

"We're going to get through this and we're going to have a great collaboration," he said. "Without First Nations, we can't get the critical minerals out of the ground, we can't have the energy that we need and that the whole world wants."