TORONTO—In the context of Donald Trump’s trade war, monopoly corporations in Canada have moved swiftly to push political and economic policies which secure and advance their profits and power. Under cover of the “elbows up” slogan, big capital is calling for sweeping changes to everything from interprovincial trade regulations to supply management in agriculture to the very notion of public monopolies on key services.
In Alberta and Ontario, conservative provincial governments are using populist rhetoric to promote and implement this restructuring, particularly in the area of resource extraction. This pits them against a series of social and economic forces that includes the labor and environmental movements—and standing at the forefront of that resistance are Indigenous peoples.
In Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith is using “Alberta separatism” as populist cover for asserting and extending the control and influence of oil and gas monopolies over the province’s politics and economy.
Smith’s loyalty to Big Carbon has been on full display throughout the trade-tariff war, beginning with her demand that Canada exclude $120 billion in oil and gas exports to the U.S. from retaliatory surcharges. This move demonstrated clearly that her priority is to maintain profits for huge energy monopolies.
During the federal election, as the Liberals’ lead over the Conservatives grew, Smith began to muse openly about Alberta separation as a way to protect against Ottawa’s “interference” in the province’s resource sector. And of course, just one day after the Liberals’ re-election, her government tabled Bill 54, the Election Statutes Amendment Act, which dramatically lowers the threshold for citizen-led referendums and opens the door to heavy corporate lobbying during those referendums.
“Citizen-led democracy” or pro-corporate legislation?
Smith and her allies claim that Bill 54 is all about citizen-led democracy and government accountability. But it’s really a clever piece of pro-corporate legislation which pushes aside the voices of working people and, especially, threatens the sovereign rights of Indigenous peoples and nations in Canada.
In response, First Nations and Métis groups in Alberta and beyond spoke up against the referendum proposal and separatism in particular. The key point of departure is that the land on which the province of Alberta exists is governed by treaties between First Nations and the Crown [the Canadian federal government], which pre-date the province’s emergence in 1905. Treaty 6 (1876), Treaty 7 (1877), and Treaty 8 (1899) together cover almost the entire landmass of Alberta. They codify Indigenous people’s rights to hunting, fishing, trapping, land reserves, payments, education and health support, and peaceful coexistence.
In a joint letter, Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation Chief Sheldon Sunshine and Mikisew Cree First Nation Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro pointed out to Smith that the legal standing of treaties takes precedence over her narrow provincial political ambitions and those of her corporate backers.
“The province of Alberta is on Treaty lands. Please be advised that your irresponsible statements and actions are in breach of Treaties No. 6, 7, and 8. We demand that you immediately stand down from this conduct. Our Treaties are sacred covenants and are to last forever. Alberta did not exist when our ancestors agreed to share the land with the Crown. The province has no authority to supersede or interfere with our Treaties, even indirectly by passing the buck to a ‘citizen’ referendum.”
The two chiefs also sent a joint letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, reinforcing that Indigenous nations’ relationship is with the federal government and not with provinces. “As you know, Canada is founded on Treaties that were sacred covenants between the Crown and our ancestors to share the lands,” they wrote. “We are not prepared to accept any further Treaty breaches and violations. We respectfully ask that you get the province of Alberta in line.”
Kimball Cariou, who was born on Treaty 6 territory with a family background of European immigrants and Métis ancestors, is the chair of the Communist Party of Canada’s Indigenous Commission. He told People’s Voice that Alberta’s referendum legislation is directly connected to the interests of huge corporations.
“Danielle Smith’s government is a front acting in the interests of the big fossil fuel monopolies, not the people of Alberta. Her government was not elected by any so-called nation, and it is not a signatory to any of the treaties (4, 6, 7, 8, and 10) negotiated by First Nations, which cover the entire territory of that province.
“These treaties were never ‘land surrender’ instruments; they are agreements to share the land base in return for certain benefits for their original peoples in perpetuity. There is no legal basis for the ‘government of Alberta’ to organize any so-called referendum on the theft of these lands or the separation of Alberta from Canada.
“The Communist Party of Canada condemns the ‘Alberta Referendum Act’ as a form of aggression against the First Nations and the Metis Nation, and a dangerous threat to the working class of Alberta.”
Ontario “unleashing” corporate profiteering
There is a similar struggle brewing in Ontario, where Premier Doug Ford used the federal election as a distraction to introduce Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, on April 17. This legislation would provide the government with a sweeping range of powers to speed up development—especially in the province’s mining sector—including the ability to designate “special economic zones.” Within these zones, the provincial government would be able to suspend or override all existing laws and regulations, including municipal regulations, relating to labor conditions, health and safety, and environmental protections.
Fred Hahn, president of the Ontario branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), warns that Bill 5 is a Trojan Horse that will seriously shift power toward corporate monopolies. “Existing Ontario labor law won’t apply in these special economic zones. Under the cloak of an impending economic crisis and the guise of fighting tariffs, Doug Ford plans on delivering workers to the Wild West of working conditions, all to the benefit of big business.”
As in Alberta, Indigenous people have quickly recognized the threat which this pro-corporate framework poses to their rights. Within days of the legislation being proposed, the Chiefs of Ontario issued a statement warning that “First Nations rights cannot be ‘unleashed’.”
“As we have said time and time again, any development or legislation that affects First Nations’ inherent or Treaty rights must have their free, prior, and informed consent,” said Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict. “First Nations are keen to uplift their communities and people, but it cannot come at the expense of their rights, wellbeing, or their environments.”
Noting Ford’s statement that the vast mineral-rich Northern Ontario region known as the Ring of Fire will be one of the first special economic zones, Regional Chief Benedict insisted that Indigenous rights will not be waived:
“These ‘special economic zones’ are vaguely defined and could be used to try and undermine our rights and ignore our sovereignty. You can’t ‘unleash’ our rights or our sacred responsibilities to our lands and waters with the wave of a pen. The government and mining proponents will need to work with each individual Nation that could be impacted by any given development to ensure they are adequately consulted and freely consent to any activities within their territories.”
Clearly, there is a basis for building broad resistance to these resource grabs by Smith and Ford, as well as others. Unions, environmental organizations, and other social movements need to unite in solidarity with Indigenous peoples to mobilize an escalating campaign that can defeat this kind of pro-corporate development, and promote and win democratic development strategies which are rooted in sovereignty and self-determination, working people’s needs, and climate and environmental justice.
This article also appears in People’s Voice.
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