A group of Indigenous leaders in Ontario has called on the prime minister to do more to address climate change against First Nations.
The Chiefs of Ontario have written an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who spent Tuesday in Windsor. The letter, signed by Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare, acknowledges the efforts that the federal government has made toward addressing climate change as it applies to Indigenous peoples but says that those efforts aren't enough.
"Current measures are misleadingly presented as enough when they are far from that, and Canada continues to harm those who can do the most to help lead us out of this mess," read the letter.
One issue raising concern with the Chiefs is the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act (GGPPA), which places a charge on carbon-emitting fuels to encourage producers to stop creating them.
However, the letter to Trudeau charges the federal government with giving preference to the bigger oil and gas companies by charging them lower carbon tax rates.
The rebate tied to the Act is not offered to Indigenous peoples living on reserves, the Chiefs pointed out.
"When the Crown obtained First Nations ancestral and territorial lands for their own use and profits, it promised to pay First Nations for their use through treaty annuity payments and exemptions from Crown-imposed taxes," read the letter. "This was a minuscule price to pay for the vast wealth the Crown has extracted and kept for itself. As a result of these treaty promises, First Nations citizens have tax exemptions and are not required to file tax returns, which means they cannot get the rebate of the Fuel Charge that others receive."
The letter has asked Trudeau to correct the issue by exempting First Nations from the carbon tax and requested a meeting with the prime minister.