July 23, 2025 – Robinson-Superior Treaty, Fort William First Nation Territory, Thunder Bay, Ontario: The Anishnawbe Business Professional Association (ABPA) today announced its total and unequivocal opposition to the federal government’s Bill C-5 and the Ontario government’s Bill 5. The ABPA, the leading voice for the First Nation business community in Northern Ontario, condemns the legislation as a direct assault on the inherent and Treaty rights of First Nations and a reckless strategy that manufactures economic instability, poisons the investment climate, and betrays the promise of reconciliation.
The two bills grant federal and provincial cabinets sweeping powers to fast-track major resource and infrastructure projects by bypassing environmental laws, heritage protections, and the Crown’s constitutional duty to consult and accommodate First Nations. This move has been met with unified condemnation from Indigenous leadership across Canada and has prompted a constitutional challenge by nine Ontario First Nations seeking to have the laws struck down. The ABPA stands in solidarity with these leaders and nations.
“The Anishnawbe Business Professional Association, representing the voice of Indigenous enterprise in Northern Ontario, unequivocally condemns Bill C-5 and Bill 5 as a catastrophic step backward for Canada,” said Jason Rasevych, President of the ABPA. “These laws unilaterally attempt to extinguish the solemn promises enshrined in our Treaties and protected by the Constitution. As business leaders and nation-builders who have successfully negotiated billions of dollars in sustainable development, we can state with certainty that these laws are economically reckless. They mistake paternalism for progress and confrontation for certainty. True economic stability and Canada’s global competitive advantage do not come from bulldozing rights; they come from respecting them through Free, Prior, and Informed Consent.”
Mr. Rasevych continued, “These bills are a profound betrayal of economic reconciliation. They poison the investment climate by guaranteeing years of legal challenges, project delays, and instability. No serious international investor is attracted to this level of manufactured risk. The governments are trying to solve 21st-century economic challenges with a 19th-century colonial mindset. It will fail.
We call on the Prime Minister and the Premier to demonstrate true leadership, repeal this regressive legislation, and return to the path of honouring the Treaty relationship through genuine partnership, equity, and shared decision-making with First Nations.”
The ABPA argues that by attempting to legislate around First Nations, the governments have created the very uncertainty they claim to be solving. The only viable path to sustainable development and long-term prosperity is through collaborative frameworks that respect Indigenous jurisdiction, honour historic and modern Treaty agreements, uphold the Honour of the Crown, and ensure First Nations are partners and equity owners in projects that affect their lands. This approach builds certainty, attracts responsible capital, and creates shared wealth. Bills C-5 and C-5 achieve the opposite, guaranteeing conflict and undermining Canada’s reputation as a stable and just place to invest.
The Anishnawbe Business Professional Association calls for the full and immediate repeal of Bill C-5 and Bill 5. The ABPA urges the federal and provincial governments to abandon their current path and immediately enter into good-faith, nation-to-nation dialogue with First Nations, as intended by the Treaties. The goal must be to co-develop a new legislative framework for resource development that respects the Constitution of Canada, is consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and is built on the foundational principles of shared prosperity and economic reconciliation.
About the ABPA: The Anishnawbe Business Professional Association (www.anishnawbebusiness.com) is a non-profit, member-based organization based in Thunder Bay, Ontario. ABPA serves the First Nation business community within Treaty #3, Treaty#5, Treaty #9 and Robinson Huron and Superior Treaty Areas. The ABPA develops and expresses positions on business issues and other public issues relevant to First Nation business, on behalf of its members
