http://www.timminspress.com/2018/06/20/grand-chief-says-first-nations-wary-of-doug-ford

Grand Chief says First Nations wary of Doug Ford

By Ron Grech, The Daily Press (Timmins)

Wednesday, June 20, 2018 10:16:02 EDT PM

Mushkegowuk Grand Chief Jonathan Solomon was one of the guest speakers in Timmins this week during the lead-up to National Indigenous People’s Day. He presented a talk about how First Nation leaders from the James Bay Coast may have been duped by government negotiators into signing Treaty No. 9 back in 1905. Solomon said he is hoping Ontario First Nations don’t have another bitter experience with government on the horizon with Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives coming into power.

TIMMINS - When Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford vowed during the election campaign to get a road built into the Ring of Fire, it resonated with many Northerners who have been waiting for the province to provide the infrastructure needed for mining to begin in the James Bay lowlands.

However,Mushkegowuk Grand Chief Jonathan Solomon said those remarks triggered alarm bells in the minds of First Nation leaders and community members throughout the James Bay Coast.

“You just can’t bulldoze over First Nations,” Solomon told The Daily Press, moments before a presentation he was set to make at the Indigenous celebration happening at Mounjoy Historical Participark this week. “If Doug Ford believes he can do that, he’s going to have a lot of issues he is going to face.”

Solomon said he has already heard words of caution and concern among chiefs and community members within the region.

“Doug Ford hasn’t been sworn in yet as premier but from what he is saying – like yesterday (Monday), he announced a hiring freeze on civil servants. So what is that going to do to the health-care system? What is that going to do to infrastructure in the province? What is that going to do to education? You start to get concerned about it. Is that a start? Is that how this is going to be for the next four years?

“Looking at the last premier, Kathleen Wynne, the Liberal government really tried to have a positive relationship because of what happened with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission,” said Solomon. “There were a bunch of recommendations about the role of the provinces in regards to reconciliation. And I think Doug Ford needs to be mindful of those recommendations.”

He said whether Ontario Progressive Conservatives can forge a positive relationship with the province’s First Nations is “really up in the air right now. After June 29 (when the new government is sworn in), we don’t know what the landscape of the political scene will be. We don’t know what relationship there will be between the Indigenous nations and the Ontario government. I’m hoping that there will be the respectful relationship that’s been there. But we need to continue to work together to be able to develop that positive relationship.”

Solomon said the alternative would force First Nations to band together against the provincial government.

“If we come together and stand in unison with all the nations in the province, I think we can make our case that you just can’t bulldoze over First Nations.

“I know he will get good advice from his advisors in regards to having a positive relationship with First Nations. But he has to be aware too that we are ready to stand up to any disrespectful protocols or processes that he may try because we are Ontarians too. We want to have a respectful relationship with the government and that’s the only way we can move forward is by working together.”