TORONTO – There were loud jeers from the gallery of Ontario’s legislative assembly as Bill 5 passed final reading Wednesday afternoon.
The government bill, named the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, received 71 votes for and 44 against.
It will become law once it receives royal assent from Lt.-Gov. Edith Dumont.
Before the vote, Kiiwetinoong MPP and NDP deputy leader Sol Mamakwa told the assembly the bill’s passage in the chamber “is not the end of the conversation.”
Mamakwa, the province’s only First Nations MPP, said there was a strong show of unity against colonialism this week at Queen’s Park.
“The more oppressed we are, the stronger we become as nations,” said the third-term legislator, who is from Kingfisher Lake First Nation.
He said the province’s Progressive Conservative government “has totally failed” in truth and reconciliation.
Grassroots actions against Bill 5 will follow its passage into law, he said.
The multi-component bill allows the province to designate “special economic zones” where provincial and municipal laws could be suspended for key projects.
Indigenous leaders have said it tramples on the treaty and constitutional rights of First Nations.
A large rally against Bill 5 was held Monday afternoon at Queen’s Park. Mamakwa was among those who spoke at the rally.
