MNR minister determined to make legislation work

Minister of Natural Resources Linda Jeffrey had felt optimistic before the Nishnawbe Aski Nation chiefs declared their opposition to Bill 191, the Far North Act.
“I was actually quite cautiously optimistic after our (Aug. 12) meeting that we were going to be able to move forward because we actually extended our meeting by an hour-and-a-half to talk about the details of what I was proposing,” Jeffrey said during an Aug. 16 phone interview. “My conversations with many of the chiefs who were in the room at various times over the last two months have been very positive and they’ve all told me that they were interested in moving forward and that they needed development in the North.”
Jeffrey said Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Stan Beardy has not seen the amendments she has been proposing due to a required confidentiality agreement.
“I’m going to be working over the next month with the First Nation communities that have expressed an interest in working with us on this,” Jeffrey said. “We have a month to get the wording right and I am hopeful we will be able to do that.”
Jeffrey said the chiefs she has spoken to understand development is coming to the North.
“They have all told me they are not opposed to development, that they want to move forward,” Jeffrey said. “It’s clear to me when I visit First Nation communities that they need capacity, they need skills training and they want to plan their communities so they can accommodate and take advantage of any economic opportunities. I want to make sure that First Nation communities initiate the plans and approve them and have control over what happens in their homeland.”
Jeffrey said she is trying to make the legislation work for the First Nation communities by reflecting what she heard from First Nations chiefs.
“They have been very constructive in their suggestions and I’m trying to make that a reality,” she said.
Jeffrey said she worked “very hard” to listen to the concerns of the chiefs and community members, youth and Elders and she wants to reflect those concerns in new amendments to the legislation.