Front Burner

Inside Indigenous backlash to fast-tracking mega projects

New laws are set to fast-track provincial and federal development. But many Indigenous people say they stomp on their treaty rights. We talk to one Grand Chief in Ontario who wants to see them stopped.
People rally against Bill C-5 on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
People rally against Bill C-5 on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

Many First Nations leaders across Canada are furious about two laws just passed by both the federal government and Ontario's provincial government. 

The Protecting Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act and the federal Building Canada Act, better known as Bill 5 and Bill C5, are meant to fast-track large development projects and have faced similar criticisms. 

Many Indigenous people say the bills stomp on treaty rights and ignore the need to get their consent for development in their territories –– and this could shape up to mean some big battles across the country.

Alvin Fiddler, Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, a political organization that represents 49 Ontario First Nations, joins the show to unpack the controversy.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

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