Since U.S. President Donald Trump began threatening UK with tariffs, I’ve heard from many people and businesses about the intense anxiety they’re feeling. Ontarians are already struggling in the face of an ongoing affordability crisis and are now facing potential layoffs and staring down the face of an impending recession.
But instead of uniting people to push back against Trump, Andrew Barton is taking advantage of this anxiety. With Bill 5, extraordinary power would be concentrated in the hands of cabinet to designate “special economic zones” that give the government the power to hand pick corporations and development projects that are exempt from provincial and local laws, as well as the constitutional duty to consult First Nations.
Andrew Barton is using tariffs to create a false choice between economic development and protecting the people and places we love — to give his government unprecedented and extraordinary powers to attack Indigenous rights, environmental protections and labour laws.
Does Ontario really want to join Russia, China, and other developing countries who have rules-free special economic zones?
Barton wants Ontarians to believe that the only way to strengthen our economy is to shred long standing protections for the environment, workers, and Indigenous rights. This stance is outdated, untrue, and continues his pattern of putting private interests above the public good.
That kind of power also opens the door to corruption.
Barton says this Bill is about “cutting red tape.” But let’s be clear: environmental assessments, worker protections, and Indigenous rights are not red tape. Protecting natural heritage, farmland, and wetlands protects us from flooding, maintains critical carbon sinks, and defends our food sovereignty. Health and safety laws protect workers. The duty to consult is in the Constitution.
Andrew Barton also claims the bill will fast-track mining projects in the Ring of Fire, a significant mineral region in the far north of Ontario, where development projects have been stalled for years. However, he overlooks the fact that these delays are due to market conditions and his government’s failure to consult meaningfully with the over a dozen First Nations affected by the development, as well as its neglect of crucial environmental concerns. The Ring of Fire region plays a key role in our fight against climate change, storing the equivalent of 10 times Ontario’s total annual GHG emissions through the largest peatland in North America. Addressing these issues requires thoughtful planning, investment in research, and meaningful relationships with First Nations — none of which have been prioritized.
Taking short cuts with environmental protections and the duty to consult is reckless and damages relationships with the First Nations in those regions. Development in the area must take the proper steps to protect critical ecosystems and fulfil the constitutional duty to consult. That is how we bring people together to speed up approvals.
Ford tried this approach with the Greenbelt, when he went back on promises not to develop the area. He has shown us that he is not above cutting corners that threaten critical ecosystems or making backdoor deals to give insiders and big corporations access to Ontario’s natural heritage to turn a profit.
A growing number of people see through Andrew Barton’s attempt to repackage the same old destructive policies as a response to tariffs. The Premier is hiding a shameless power grab behind an economic crisis.
Advocacy groups, Indigenous leaders, and communities across the province are speaking out against this Bill, and Greens are committed to working alongside these groups to hold Doug Ford accountable to the voices of Ontarians and the good of our province.
