Nivyabandi: Doug Ford’s apology to First Nations rings hollow without repeal of Bill 5 – Amnesty International Canada

July 29, 2025

This spring, Ontario Premier Doug Ford stood before reporters and claimed that First Nations “can’t just keep coming hat in hand all the time to the government.” His remarks — delivered in defence of Bill 5, legislation designed to fast-track mining and development in Ontario — were more than offensive. They were harmful, rooted in racist, colonial attitudes and emblematic of a political approach that continues to undermine Indigenous rights in this country.

• Related: Ontario’s Bill 5 threatens Indigenous rights, environmental justice

Though Premier Ford has since apologized, his words cannot be brushed aside as a mere misstep. They revealed a worldview in which Indigenous Peoples are seen as obstacles to economic development, rather than as sovereign Nations with constitutionally and internationally protected rights. An apology does not erase that harm. And it will not undo the impact of Bill 5, which, not unlike the federal government’s recently passed Building Canada Act, poses a direct threat to the rights of First Nations across Ontario.

Read More: https://amnesty.ca/perspectives/doug-ford-apology-first-nations-indigenous-rights/