OTTAWA – The Chiefs of Ontario are meeting in Ottawa this week.

Statement from Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald released earlier today:

“The federal government continues to advance a deeply flawed engagement process concerning the Rights and Recognition Framework after significant resistance from not only Indigenous legal and cultural experts, but First Nations from across Canada.

On other issues, we have made positive forward movement with the federal government. That’s why its troubling that while they are listening, they aren’t hearing the First Nation voices and the messages being conveyed. First Nations across Ontario are opposed – and do not believe this framework was made in collaborative partnership.

The Chiefs of Ontario stand by our RESOLUTION 32-18 REJECTION OF FEDERAL RECOGNITION OF RIGHTS AND IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK, passed by the Chiefs in assembly at the June 2018 All Ontario Chiefs Conference. We continue to encourage like-minded First Nations to assert their sovereignty through their own nation-to-nation governance structures and processes.

The federal government must do a hard reset on this process so that we may examine the best way forward together. First Nations need to be leading the efforts on anything that affects their inherent and treaty rights. These joint principles cannot be developed unilaterally – this must be a collaborative partnership with mutually agreed upon terms – that will form a strong foundation for our relationship going forward. We have a real opportunity to take a hard pause and transform the current relationship between First Nations and the federal government – a process to the benefit of all.

I also need to be clear that the Chiefs of Ontario do not purport to speak on behalf of or over any of the other regions. We respect their decisions, processes and opinions on their views. This is Ontario’s point and state of opposition to the process that has happened”.

Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald