First Nations to launch legal challenge against Ontario, federal bills 5 and C-5 – CHCH
July 15, 2025
TORONTO — Lawyers representing nine Ontario First Nations say they are launching a constitutional challenge against provincial and federal laws meant to fast-track infrastructure projects that the Indigenous communities say infringes upon their rights.
Details of the legal challenge have not yet been made public, but the lawyers say they will reveal more at a press conference on Wednesday.
The federal Bill C-5 allows cabinet to quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects such as mines, ports and pipelines by sidestepping existing laws, while Ontario’s bill allows its cabinet to suspend provincial and municipal laws through the creation of so-called “special economic zones.”
