NAN continues to oppose Bill 151

Nishnawbe Aski Nation is calling for community-managed forests in response to Bill 151 being sent for third reading.
“There must be a new forest tenure model whereby communities, and not industry or government, become the managers of the forest and have the final say,” said Grand Chief Stan Beardy. “First Nations must have an opportunity to be part of economic development, including benefits that may derive from forestry practices, in order to ensure long-term sustainability for generations to come.”
Beardy said the Ontario government’s pressure to ram-through Bill 151 – Ontario’s Forest Tenure Modernization Act – undermines First Nations in their right to be properly consulted and accommodated with their concerns, on any matter affecting the lands and resources of their traditional territories.
“We (First Nations) will not be subject to yet another piece of one-sided legislation that challenges our constitutionally protected Aboriginal and treaty rights to be properly and adequately consulted and accommodated on matters such as forestry,” Beardy said. “We will exercise our own jurisdiction in determining what is best for the resources in our traditional territory – not what the province thinks is best. Bill 151 must be scrapped and replaced with a bill that reflects the recommendations by First Nations.”
Bill 151 was sent for third reading May 4 by the Standing Committee on General Government. The bill aims to change how Crown land is licensed for use by forestry mills. The cost of wood could rise or drop with supply and demand.
The proposed legislation would keep the government’s authority to manage forests, while allowing more companies to get involved in the forestry sector.
Timmins-James Bay MPP Gilles Bisson moved for inclusion of a duty to consult subsection in the bill to recognize existing Aboriginal and treaty rights in section 35 of the Constitution.
Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Michael Brown said the government would not support Bisson’s amendment. The bill is about the creation of local forest management companies, whose objective or purpose includes economic development opportunities for Aboriginal people.
Five Liberal MPPs voted against Bisson’s amendment while Bisson and two Progressive Conservative MPPs voted for it.
Northern Development, Mines and Forestry Minister Michael Gravelle previously said while Aboriginal and treaty rights are not specifically listed in the legislation, he recognized the importance of Aboriginal and treaty rights and would honour them.
Randy Hillier, Progressive Conservative critic for Northern Development, Mines, and Forestry, condemned the Liberals for voting against crucial amendments to Bill 151, noting the Standing Committee for General Government met for only 40 minutes to complete the clause-by-clause amendment process for 151.
“The McGuinty Liberals have proved once again that this legislation is being pushed by Toronto elites rather than the voices of concerned families and foresters in northern Ontario,” Hillier said. “The committee members made it quite clear that the purpose of this bill has nothing to with promoting economic support for northern Ontario and the forest industry and all to do with appeasing downtown environmentalists.”