Mushkegowuk leadership challenges Minister of Mines to scrap Bill 71 and work with the communities to find a better way
First Nations leadership is calling on Minister George Pirie to be a true partner. Mushkegowuk Grand Chief Alison Linklater challenged the Timmins MPP and Minister of Mines during the Mushkegowuk Annual General Assembly to scrap Bill 71 and work with the communities to find a better way forward.
“I have a challenge for you. Withdraw your bill and work with us,” said Linklater. “Create a true partnership based on our treaty.” The minister faced questions from community members and leadership at the event in Cochrane on Tuesday with a focus on Bill 71, which was recently approved and saw changes made to the Mining Act.
Pirie called the bill a way to streamline the bureaucratic steps companies face to open a mine, but several speakers had doubts about the commitment to consultations with Indigenous communities.
“We are all for partnerships, we are all for economic development but not at any cost,” said Chief Keith Corston from Chapleau Cree First Nation. “We welcome economic development, we welcome all these opportunities, but we also hold our land dearly, and the waters which to us is much more important than any economic gain.”
For the rest of this article: https://www.timminstoday.com/local-news/withdraw-your-bill-and-work-with-us-says-grand-chief-7077546