Chief says infrastructure drive could trigger another Idle No More protest movement
By Canadian Press on May 30, 2025.
OTTAWA — A First Nations chief is warning that Canada is “staring down the barrel” of another wave of protests like the Idle No More movement if governments pursue “national interest” projects without their input and consent.
Anishinabek Nation Regional Chief Scott McLeod has joined a chorus of leaders from across the country who say they’re alarmed by government efforts to fast-track infrastructure development.
The federal government is developing a “national interest” bill to fast-track nation-building projects with a streamlined regulatory approval process as a substitute for reviews under the Impact Assessment Act.
In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford is pursuing legislation — Bill 5 — that would enable cabinet to designate “special economic zones” where companies or projects wouldn’t have to comply with selected laws or regulations.
McLeod said chiefs have been sending provincial and federal officials “warning shots” about the sorts of disruptions such projects could face if Indigenous communities are not properly consulted.
National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak of the Assembly of First Nations issued a warning to the provinces and Ottawa, saying it “may not end well” if they make decisions about major infrastructure projects at next week’s first ministers meeting in Saskatoon without First Nations involvement.
The Assembly of First Nations has long called for its inclusion at first ministers meetings but has only been able to secure secondary meetings with prime ministers ahead of the official meetings.
Given the stakes of the upcoming meeting, Nepinak said First Nations exclusion is “very disrespectful.” Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Vice Chief David Pratt, meanwhile, is calling for governments to “smarten up.”
McLeod said the last time Indigenous leaders saw something like what the federal government is proposing now was “in 2012 with Bill C-45, that had a lot of the same language and the same impacts on First Nations which sparked Idle No More.
“We all know what happened then.”
The Idle No More movement was sparked by that omnibus bill, introduced by then-prime minister Stephen Harper’s government.
Indigenous leaders warned the bill, intended to ramp up resource development, would trample on their rights while giving governments and businesses more authority to develop resources without thorough environmental assessments.
Leaders allied with the Idle No More movement staged protests, rallies and blockades on railway lines and highways and earned widespread support from across the country.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.
Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press
18-17
There are always going to be the radicalized aboriginals, but there are most of the others who support growth and the benefits for their communities.
These radicals were funded by billionaires and foreign governments who were only concerned with their own market shares and used these people as soldiers to protest. Funds were funneled through Tides Canada Foundation and other non-profits. These funds caused a growth in protest numbers by other sheep who in many cases didn’t know why they were protesting.
Many of these people were already on social services, Employment Insurance or other government funded programs, who paid them when they couldn’t work, so they had plenty of time to protest!
Many wanted their checks from the government but shutdown multiple projects that created revenues to pay for these people! They somehow believe that money can just be printed, or just magically falls from the sky!
Canadians are weary of these protests and sooner or later they will stand up and say enough! If you want all that money, projects need to go forward to provide that money. Or, the checks could be just cut and then you will have to find a job, but where, since you shut down all the projects that employ people.
Maybe we should all just stop working and let the government support us!
Where will the fuel come from to heat our homes, create electricity to run appliances-run water treatment facilties-power essential services, transport almost everything we use daily, or who will do the labour to grow food so we can go to a store to buy what we need, or provide medical aid?
Lets all just stop working and then there will be no checks to pay bills, buy food or clothing and no stores,etc.! We can all just live off the land and go back to the wild west days!
There will be backlash if protests return!
People are tired and you will burn whatever is left of the Reconciliation efforts, knocking it back 30 years, but it was all one sided anyway and not true reconciliation!
You will see counter protests!