Mr. Howard Hampton: A question to the Minister of Northern Development
and Mines: The Matawa First Nation tribal council chiefs released a
statement on Friday and I quote from it, "As First Nation chiefs, we
are disappointed by the inaction of the government of Ontario to
consult with and accommodate us about the mining claims that Platinex
has staked in our territory."
My question is this: Why did the McGuinty government fail to consult
and accommodate Webequie, Eabametoong, Neskantaga, Gull Bay and Marten
Falls First Nations before allowing Platinex's claim to an additional
72,000 acres of crown land to be recorded?
Hon. Michael Gravelle: Certainly, I want to inform the House of the
very positive working relationship that our ministry and government
have with Matawa First Nation. The fact is that I met with Matawa First
Nation very soon after being appointed Minister of Northern Development
and Mines and we were discussing my ministry's transitional approach to
aboriginal engagement. This approach was developed based on what we
heard through our engagement process with Matawa and other First
Nations and we've made real progress in that regard. Also, as the
leader of the third party may know, at the recent Prospectors and
Developers Associations convention in Toronto, Matawa was the first
aboriginal organization from Ontario to be an active participant in
attracting exploration activities. So we are working directly with
Matawa First Nation now in terms of the claims that are out there and
we continue our engagement process and we look forward to continuing
that discussion with them.
Mr. Howard Hampton: I'm still waiting for the answer. Yes, I know and
many of us know Matawa tribal council has no philosophical opposition
to mining. But as they say in their statement, "We need to be consulted
before these claims are accepted or recorded by Ontario," and "The
Ontario government has lagged considerably behind jurisprudence on
aboriginal and treaty rights."
We already know the leadership of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First
Nation is in jail because the McGuinty government failed to consult and
accommodate that First Nation before recording mining claims.
My question is this: After several decisions by the Supreme Court of
Canada, why does the McGuinty government continue to ignore its
constitutional responsibility to consult and accommodate First Nations
before you record—
The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Minister?
Hon. Michael Gravelle: We take our duty to consult very seriously. It
was confirmed in the court case by Justice Smith, but in terms of the
Matawa First Nation, my ministry was in touch with them last week. We
are in the process of contacting the individual First Nations that are
impacted by the claims that Platinex brought forward and were recorded
just this week and as soon as claims are recorded, we're making sure
they're aware of them. We also contacted Platinex last week, urging
them to begin the dialogue immediately, and I'll be following up with
the company myself in writing early next week. Certainly I'm
disappointed that Platinex did not contact them in advance, but we are
encouraging all companies to do this.
In terms of our transitional approach, we are certainly providing
aboriginal communities with quarterly maps, which will show mining
claims in the general vicinity of their communities, and we shared that
information with Matawa First Nation back in December when I met with
them. Again, I'm very pleased with the relationship that we have with
Matawa First Nation and many other First Nations in northern Ontario.
