Peggy Revell
Grand Council Treaty #3 and ministers from the Ontario government marked a commitment to improve relations between First Nations and the province at a ceremony last Thursday at Stanjikoming.
Ogichidaakwe Diane Kelly, Natural Resources minister Donna Cansfield, and Northern Development and Mine minister Michael Gravelle were on hand to sign a letter of intent indicating both sides’ further pledge to continue to enhance a working relationship between them.
“Today we are here because we have to reconcile a relationship with Ontario,” Kelly remarked. “We need to talk about a government-to-government relationship.”
“As we all know, as Anishinaabe people from Treaty #3, we have our tradition, we have our government, we have our ways of doing things,” she noted. “And since the treaty was signed in 1873, there have been situations that have happened that need to be reconciled with the province of Ontario.
“And that’s the beginning of what we’re hoping to embark upon today . . . a relationship of reconciliation with the province, in particular these two ministries.”
“I am delighted today to have the opportunity to again forge a stronger bond with the leadership and people of Grand Council #3,” Gravelle said while thanking Treaty #3 for inviting him to the traditional ceremony hosted within the roundhouse at Stanjikoming, which included blessings by the elders, songs, drumming, and each side presenting gifts.
“The letter of intent speaks to our mutual goal—the goal of building on the progress made to date in improving and enhancing our working relationship.
“I can say to you today that I do not make this pledge lightly, nor do I make it without my very full conviction,” Gravelle added.
As an example of this relationship between First Nations and the Ontario government, Gravelle spoke of his role as Northern Development and Mines minister, where he’s been entrusted with the task of modernizing Ontario’s Mining Act—a process, he noted, that has stirred passions amongst First Nation communities.
But throughout the process of updating the legislation, Gravelle said he has been working hard with First Nations to include them and to ensure consultation with First Nations over mining.
“I would hope that throughout this process, I have clearly demonstrated to chiefs, to territorial leaders, and other First Nations officials from across Ontario that I, and our government, are sincere in our efforts to affect change for the better.
“This is not to say that we will always agree,” Gravelle cautioned. “To commit to such an outcome would be disingenuous and would do everyone a great disservice.
“But in signing this letter of intent, I commit to putting forth my best and most sincere effort as we work together to build and strengthen our relationship and enable greater participation in economic opportunities for your communities.
“I will do so with compassion, with forthrightness, and with humility,” Gravelle pledged.
“This is a good day for the communities of the Grand Council Treaty #3 and it is a good day for the Ontario government,” said Cansfield.
“Together, we’re going to hold hands and we’re going to move forward,” she stressed, noting that one of the most important outcomes of the discussions has been in the commitment to building a stronger relationship of trust, both with each other and to make things better for the Anishinaabe people.
“Our government wants to forge a stronger relationship and partnership with the Anishinaabe people, based on mutual respect and meaningful participation,” stressed Cansfield, noting that as minister of natural resources, she has been given many opportunities to meet with leaders and communities across the province.
She also noted sustainability has been one of her main focuses for managing the province’s resources.
“And by sustainability, I mean that our economy, our society, and our environment all [are] in sync with one another,” she explained. “And, of course, that includes respecting your aboriginal and treaty rights.”
Cansfield said the letter of intent speaks of this partnership between Grand Council Treaty #3 and the provincial ministries.
“It also highlights [the] progress that we have already made together, and today’s signing commits us to continue to work more closely together,” she added, highlighting various initiatives the government has taken to further the partnership with First Nations.
“As we work together in the spirit of co-operation and the spirit of mutual respect, we can enhance our relationships and we can promote the economic goals of the Grand Council and its members.
“We have achieved much to date, but I look forward to that continuing [in the] future. There is much more to do.
“You have my commitment that I will continue personally, on behalf of my government, to ensure that we will build that mutual respect,” Cansfield stressed. “We will make a difference by working together because we have the same future in mind.”
“For the chiefs and citizens of the Anishinaabe nation of Treaty #3, I hope today will be remembered with pride,” Kelly said following the drumming, songs, blessings, and presentation of gifts that marked the afternoon ceremony.
“If you look around at the roundhouse today and the community, you will see many of the unique things about our Anishinaabe nation and Treaty #3,” she noted. “The language and the culture are very prominent, are very strong, and very much alive.
“As I sat with the ministers this afternoon, we talked about the peacefulness of being in the roundhouse and the strengths, and I told them, particularly Minister Gravelle, this is how we do business in Treaty #3. This is how it’s always been and this is will continue to be.
“Our way of life is strong and the source of its strength is the land—the 55,000 square miles of Treaty #3 territory.”
This territory, stressed Kelly, is one the Anishinaabe people have protected and they have a sacred responsibility towards sustainable use of the land.
“So today, we plan and implement our plans following those given to us by the Creator, and we always remember and acknowledge who we are and where we came from and our teachings that guide us to this day,” she added.
This includes the challenge of maintaining the Anishinaabe way of life without the land—and in the face of history.
“We are righting a relationship upset by broken promises. We are righting a relationship upset by forgotten obligation. We are righting a relationship upset by a painful history,” Kelly remarked.
“But today, we must work together through our own efforts, together work to right this relationship.”
Kelly also said Ontario no longer can unjustly enrich itself at the expense of her nation, adding that the First Nations are looking for practical ways to resolve their problems.
“As I sat with the honourable ministers during the ceremonies, we talked about the market and people losing their jobs,” Kelly noted. “And from our perspective—from the people of Treaty #3, our communities—we have the highest unemployment rates of anybody in Ontario or in Canada.
“And when we try to remember that people are losing their jobs, we also have to remember that our people have been here from time in memorial. We are here today and we’re not going anywhere.
“We also have to be a part of the equation.
“We don’t reconcile what has already been reconciled with our queen and our chiefs in 1873 in terms of the signing of Treaty #3. We honour the agreement and its commitments,” Kelly said. “But what we need to focus on today, and from this day forward, is how to make this relationship of mutual benefit.
“One of trust and, ultimately, one of good neighbours.”
This ensures the challenges that all practices, whether fishing, timber harvesting, or others, are sustainable for present and future generations, she stressed.
This includes dialogue on managing and protecting the territories of the Anishinaabe people, as well as “enforcement policies and the connection to the protection of inherent treaty rights.”
“We will work together on these issues to find practical and lasting solutions that will benefit all of our people,” Kelly pledged.
