March 17,2008

35 signatories, including CCAMU, issue a joint statement to the Province of Ontario to Stop the injustice: Overhaul Ontario’s mining laws and policies.

The letter calls on Premier Dalton McGuinty to:

1. Instruct officials in the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines to not allow mineral exploration or the staking of claims and mining leases that violates constitutionally protected Indigenous rights, including the right to consultation and accommodation.
2. Comprehensively reform the Mining Act, including the free entry system, in consultation with Indigenous peoples and with affected stakeholders. Reform must include protection of the rights of Indigenous peoples in national and international law and independent environmental assessment of the cumulative impacts of proposed exploration and mining projects.
3. Enter into good faith negotiations with the KI and Algonquin peoples to ensure their rights are fully respected and that these conflicts are quickly remedied in the public interest.

To read this letter to McGuinty click on this pdf.