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David Zimmer is the Ontario Liberal Minister of Aboriginal Affairs.
The Supreme Court of Canada’s recent decision in the Tsilhqot’in Nation case arising out of British Columbia will inform the way business is conducted across Canada. Here in Ontario, I believe the ruling is consistent with the progress our government has been making in the area of aboriginal consultation and resolving land claims for many years — an approach that has created a province well-prepared for sustainable development benefitting aboriginal people, industry and all Ontarians.
The Tsilhqot’in Nation decision builds on earlier decisions of the Supreme Court, including the Delgamuukw, Haida and Mikisew cases, that have given meaning to the constitutional protection of aboriginal and treaty rights and established principles that guide governments in their relationships with aboriginal communities. Consistent with the spirit of these decisions, Ontario launched the New Relationship Fund in 2008.
The Fund has so far helped almost 200 First Nations and Métis communities and organizations engage in consultations with governments and industry on resource-based economic development activities. And the principles underlying the decisions are the same as those that led the province to modernize the Mining Act in 2009, creating the first legislation in Ontario that embeds consultation principles related to established or asserted treaty and aboriginal rights.
It’s also in the spirit of these earlier rulings that, this year, the government signed a historic regional framework agreement with the nine Matawa member First Nations for negotiations on sustainably developing the Ring of Fire. It’s one of the most significant mineral regions in the province, with mineral potential known to be worth $60-billion, including the largest deposit of chromite ever discovered in North America.
This government-to-government relationship ensures that these First Nations participate in, and benefit from, proposed development in the Ring of Fire. We’ve also announced the creation of a development corporation that aims to bring together key mining companies, First Nations, and the provincial and federal governments to develop infrastructure in the Ring of Fire region.
The spirit of those earlier Supreme Court decisions also informed Ontario’s approach to the underlying aboriginal rights issues raised in the Algonquins of Ontario land claim negotiations. This includes putting in place a ground-breaking consultation regime that has proven effective for the Algonquins, Ontario ministries, agencies, the private sector, municipalities and the public. We look forward to continuing to work with the Algonquins of Ontario and Canada to complete the initialing and approval of an agreement in principle.
For the rest of this column, click here: http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2014/07/09/david-zimmer-a-model-for-first-nations-relations/