Nine Ontario First Nations launch constitutional challenge against Bill 5 and Bill C-5

A group of Ontario First Nations has filed a constitutional challenge of recent bills passed by both the province and the federal government aimed at speeding up mining, pipelines and other projects, claiming the legislation allows development to be rammed through without meaningful consultations with Indigenous people.

Lawyers acting for nine Ontario First Nations have filed an application in Ontario Superior Court challenging both the province’s Bill 5, which allows for the creation of “special economic zones” where any provincial law could be suspended, and the federal government’s Bill C-5, which would allow the waiving of legislative requirements for projects deemed in the national interest.