Garden River First Nation Opposes Ontario’s Bill 5: “Our Rights Are Not Optional”

Press Release

June 4, 2025

Garden River First Nation (GRFN) is raising serious concerns about Ontario’s Bill 5, legislation that threatens Indigenous rights, land stewardship, and the constitutional obligation of the Crown to consult with First Nations.

Chief Bell, speaking from the Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Assembly in London, stated:

“Bill 5 was introduced without any meaningful consultation with our Nation or other First Nations in Ontario. That is not just a political failure — it is a legal breach of the Crown’s constitutional duty to consult and accommodate. Our lands are not vacant. Our voice is not optional.”

Bill 5, if passed, would fast-track land development and resource decisions across Ontario, while weakening oversight and Indigenous participation in processes that directly affect Treaty and traditional territories. GRFN views this as a direct assault on its rights, responsibilities, and legal authority.

“Our people have stewarded these lands since long before Ontario existed,” said Matthias Nunno, GRFN Lands Manager. “This bill ignores not only our history and Treaty rights, but also the Honour of the Crown and Canada’s own Constitution.”

Garden River First Nation is calling for:

⦁ The immediate suspension of Bill 5.
⦁ Full and meaningful consultation with GRFN and all affected First Nations.

⦁ A co-developed legislative process that respects Treaty relationships and Anishinaabe governance.

“We are not asking for permission to exist — we are asserting our constitutional and Treaty rights,” said Chief Bell. “The Province must not forget: Reconciliation cannot be legislated away.”

GRFN affirms its continued commitment to the protection of its lands, resources, and legal obligations to future generations — and calls on the Crown to return to a path of honour, respect, and lawful governance.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Dustin Hollings
Communications Specialist
C: 705 989 2151 O: 705 946 6300 ext. 250
E: dhollings@gardenriver.org
www.gardenriver.org

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