First Nation chief rejects Ontario's jurisdiction

The chief of Kitchenuhmaykoosib says it's time to draw the province into the Idle No More debate.

Because Ontario signed a treaty, Donny Morris said he's directing his protest at the province.

Morris's latest YouTube video on the Kitchenuhmaykoosib website stated his support for Attawapiskat Chief Teresa Spence’s hunger strike. Both Morris and Spence are from communities in Treaty 9, to which Ontario is also a signatory.

In the video, Morris said he wants an invitation to Queen's Park. When he's there, he plans to tell provincial legislators their laws don't apply in his traditional territory anymore.

"I’m putting Ontario on notice that your policies are not recognized," he said. "I'm strongly telling you to tell your proponents that work under you to stay away from our territory."

Morris said the community has its own laws and regulations that it will apply.

Ontario's minister of Aboriginal Affairs gave a generic answer at a news conference in Thunder Bay on Thursday when he was asked about Morris' stand.

"We'll continue to work very closely with First Nations, Aboriginal peoples to continue to achieve a greater prosperity for all in the future," Chris Bentley said.

But Morris asserted that Ontario hasn't been working with him, and said he's tired of waiting for that to happen.

"We will [be the ones who] decide how we want to work with development, protecting our waters and how it will be structured," Morris said.