Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict issues statement on Canada-U.S. relations

Press Release

Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict has issued the following statement on the relationship between Canada and the United States:

“I wish to congratulate President Donald Trump on his recent election and inauguration. I also want to make clear to his government, all levels of Canadian governments, and to Ontario First Nations Leadership, that the Chiefs of Ontario will continue to advocate for the rights and interests of all 133 First Nations in Ontario. While we can expect significant changes in the coming months and years, our mandate—to uphold the inherent and Treaty rights of First Nations and to work towards healthy and happy communities—will remain unchanged.

President Trump has made threats to Canada in recent weeks, including annexation of the country and coercion through economic force. For First Nations, it echoes the colonial rhetoric that we’ve dealt with for centuries. It should be no surprise that these threats focus on Canada, Greenland and Mexico—all countries with immense natural resources and unique Indigenous Nations.

First Nations have lived on and cared for these lands since time immemorial. Many of our Nations’ traditional territories transcend international boundaries. We have long histories of crossing this great continent to trade with and learn from each other. While First Nations have always had the inherent right to travel freely across these lands—including the contemporary border between Canada and the United States—it is also affirmed by the Jay Treaty. Any decisions that affect First Nations sovereignty and rights must not be taken without our free, prior and informed consent and must respect the international Treaties that First Nations have with the Crown.

President Trump and his administration are focusing heavily on natural resources, tariffs and trade. Among the resources and industries that we expect to draw national and international interest are forestry and critical minerals. Forestry and the softwood lumber dispute has been a constant strain between successive governments in Canada and the United States. For decades, First Nations forestry companies have suffered as they are often at the front of the supply chain and have relatively smaller economies of scale.

Additionally, Canada and Ontario continue to use Ontario’s critical mineral deposits as a bargaining chip. All these deposits are located within the jurisdiction of First Nations’ traditional, inherent and Treaty territories and must be recognized as such. Canada has clearly stated that reconciliation is a core objective in resource development, and that extraction should only occur with the free, prior and informed consent of the First Nations that have Aboriginal-title rights to the land.

There is economic uncertainty on the horizon due to the incoming Trump administration. We call on all representatives of the Crown in Canda—be them provincial or federal governments—to remember and respect the honour of the Crown. Engaging in costly economic confrontations or extracting natural resources cannot come at the expense of First Nations’ inherent and Treaty rights nor our sovereignty. Rather, it must be done in collaboration and with the spirit of reconciliation.

There are no natural resources anywhere in this country that are not on First Nations’ lands. Our Nations must be at the table for any decisions that could possibly impact our rights and lands. Recent political changes in Canada and the United States provide an opportunity for politicians and Canadians who are facing these threats to work with First Nations in Ontario to find solutions that work for everyone.

I call on all governments—whether the Crown or the United States—to guarantee that any actions that could affect inherent and Treaty rights are only taken with the free, prior and informed consent of First Nations in Ontario. And I commit to doing everything I can to ensure that happens.

First Nations in Ontario have pre-confederacy and international Treaties with the Crown that must be honoured. We have inalienable rights as the First Peoples and we will not sit idly by if they are threatened. We are ready to work with those who respect us and our rights. First Nations want the same as everyone else—happy, healthy and prosperous communities for our people now and those to come.”

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The Chiefs of Ontario support all First Nations in Ontario as they assert their sovereignty, jurisdiction and their chosen expression of nationhood. Follow Chiefs of Ontario on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @ChiefsOfOntario.

Media Contact:

Isak Vaillancourt
Communications Manager
Chiefs of Ontario
Mobile: 416-819-8184
Email: isak.vaillancourt@coo.org

Declan Keogh
Communications Officer
Chiefs of Ontario
Mobile: 416-522-4518
Email: declan.keogh@coo.org

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