A message from Ontario First Nations to industry proponents.

Governments are imposing an unjustifiable tax on the mining industry in Ontario by forcing proponents to consult with the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO).

MNO is not a legitimate rights-holder and Ontario First Nations have taken the position that there is no credible basis for MNO’s claims in Ontario, unlike the legal duty to consult First Nations.

A growing body of evidence demonstrates that MNO’s claims aren’t based in facts or evidence. Canada and Ontario are making a decision to retroactively and artificially create “Métis communities” that never existed before and force proponents to consult with them.

Even Métis groups don’t support MNO’s claims. The Red River Métis say MNO isn’t Métis and is stealing Métis identity. The Métis Nation—Saskatchewan says that MNO represents people who are not Métis.

Canada publicly admitted it did nothing to verify MNO’s legitimacy before recognizing all communities represented by MNO as rights-holders—without any evidence.

The mining industry could end up paying millions more as a result of MNO’s demands for equity and benefits.

Consulting MNO injects massive uncertainty and delay into the mining regulatory process.

First Nations support legitimate Indigenous rights-holders – MNO isn’t one of them.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Acceptance of MNO as a legitimate group will dramatically drive-up costs to both industry and First Nations.
  • Regulatory certainty will be severely undermined by the inclusion of MNO.
  • Project and permit approvals will likely be delayed by MNO’s demands for benefits—even in cases where proponents have deals and good relationships with impacted First Nations.
  • Proponents who engage with MNO will severely damage their relationships with First Nations in Ontario and throughout Canada. It will undermine the ability of proponents to reach mutually beneficial agreements on projects and significantly increase the risk of litigation and delays in the regulatory process.
  • Canada and Ontario’s “ask no questions” approach to recognizing alleged new Métis groups has already meant a number of other collectives besides MNO are making demands in regulatory processes in Ontario.
  • There is a legal duty to consult First Nations. Most First Nations in Ontario have rights protected by treaties – First Nations have been here for thousands of years and are not going away.
  • In contrast, the Crown’s recognition and demand for MNO’s “new historic” communities to be consulted is a policy decision that is not based on credible evidence or meeting the legal test set by the Supreme Court of Canada in Powley. Canada even admitted in Parliamentary hearings that it has done nothing to verify MNO’s claims.
  • Both Ontario and Canada have refused to acknowledge or review the overwhelming evidence from First Nations and Métis groups that MNO’s claims are not credible.
  • Canada and Ontario are even including MNO in consultation processes in areas of Ontario where MNO is not making any claims to land or rights.
  • The Crown is creating a recipe for chaos and uncertainty for industry. The more proponents engage with MNO the more it will legitimize MNO’s false claims, increase costs to proponents and jeopardize regulatory certainty.

  • Proponents will increase regulatory certainty and lower the chance of disruptions by dealing exclusively with First Nations.
  • First Nations have distinct languages, cultures, and laws tied to the territories they have occupied for thousands of years.
  • First Nations have formed productive and mutually beneficial working relationships with the mining companies for many years.
  • First Nations are focused on reasonable protections for their lands and way of life and shared benefits for activities with our respective territories. MNO has no lands—it simply claims First Nations lands in order to extract benefits it has no entitlement to.

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