Yes, you bring forth the FN view point which is important to understand. I also had a different impression than Bennett had. My understanding was that Coutts was trying to appease Matawa by saying that it's just Noront now and that everything is on the table to negotiate fairly. Which in my opinion is good, but it does have to be fair for all stakeholders, investors included! We still have to finance this thing too! And Noront and this project wouldn't have existed without junior mining investors!

However, Ontario is not even getting 50% of anything - why should the FNs.
There are around 10,000 people part of Matawa and less than half of them live on reserve.
Why should so few get so much without having done anything, except conveniently saying their own version of the treaty should be respected? We need to change popular public opinion on these matters across the country for the sake of all of Canada.

I'd rather they get a small stake in the company - definitely less than 10% - that they have to buy with their own money or debt if they can come up with it. Because who wants to partner with them if they are going to ruin everything? They are grand masters of extortion while blaming the rest of us for having done the same to them.

Imagine if Spain had "colonized" instead of the French and British? Those were different times - but we are a multicultural society now. Or imagine, if the FNs partner with Russia for Northern and Arctic conquests in the future. There has to be an end to the myth that "First Peoples" have an intrinsic right to more. There was always someone before. That's the whole point of war, and colonizing and invading. The larger power gets to dictate the terms. Luckily, no one wants violence towards them - although they like to throw the threats at us.

Wake up Canada! If Trudeau was in favour of the "white" (all colours) paper for a just society, that says something.

Otherwise they get a portion of what Ontario would get. This is more than fair. No non-aboriginal communities get half of what the rest of Ontario gets! This is already special treatment, plus all the infrastructure, training, jobs based on ethnicity, contracts based on ethnicity etc and a brighter future than their chiefs ever had for their people! It can be argued that, again, the rest of us are enriching their bounty by providing new technology, a broader view of nature and more than just education and health. Yet no one is stopping them to join the rest of society, it is encouraged!

No one wants them to be isolated, some prefer to stay where they are - because they are betting on inheriting the earth and all that comes with it. I say no more, the world is larger than just their communities and people. You can't keep wishing others don't exist while taking advantage of everything others bring to the table too.

This isn't anti-FN, this is anti-special treatment based on ethnicity, otherwise known as discrimination. We, living in multicultural Canada, are not the "racists" - they are. And the rest of Canada is still trying to give them a social leg up so they can be part of society. It's all smoke & mirrors when it comes to the hardships brought on by others. If anything, the world wants nothing more than to keep on helping.

But creating a privileged class based on ethnicity is not the way.