The proposed guidelines are…

The proposed guidelines are broad and vague, leaving them open to misuse. In light of Bill 5 and other recent blatant misappropriations of power in direct opposition to the people’s will, we do not trust the Ford government to make ethical use of any such language.

To illustrate, what exactly constitutes “economically significant or strategically important to the Ontario economy”? At present, the above language means that cabinet can approve anything it deems important, up to any size. Specific criteria are needed, especially in the current absence of public trust.

Of particular concern is the disproportionate reliance on the “opinion of the Minister” to make key determinations. This fundamentally undermines the purpose of developing criteria in the first instance.

Finally, the minister considers whether a “trusted proponent” has a plan for engaging and working with Indigenous communities, but the criteria do not require that the “trusted proponent” uphold Canada’s commitment to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and, in particular, the duty to obtain free, prior and informed consent from Indigenous Peoples regarding initiation of projects. Given that the rights of Indigenous Peoples have been consistently failed by implementation of policy, this language needs to be corrected.