Fast-track laws impact First Nations governance, conference told

By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Thunder Bay Source THUNDER BAY — The provincial and federal “Bill 5s” are undermining Indigenous governance and treaty rights, political scientist Ryan Fleming says. They “treat Indigenous rights as an issue to navigate around” rather than a promise to be honoured, he told Newswatch after delivering a presentation to Neeganii-Iishawin Gathering 2026. Provincial Bill 5 and federal Bill C-5, both designed to get major projects such as new mines and power plants started quickly, both became law in June against opposition from First Nations. The province and the feds decided “to treat Indigenous rights as an issue to navigate around, and these bills do essentially exactly that,” said Fleming, an Attawapiskat First Nation member and PhD candidate at the University of Toronto. “And…

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