For Immediate Release

June 4, 2025

Re: Media Statement: Addressed to the Governor General of Canada

To the Governor General of Canada: Oneida Nation of the Thames Demands Crown Accountability Following Passage of Bill 5

The Oneida Nation of the Thames, a sovereign Haudenosaunee Nation and signatory to sacred Treaty agreements with the Crown, publicly calls upon the Governor General of Canada — the Crown’s highest representative on this land — to uphold and honour the Crown’s enduring obligations to our people.

On June 4, 2025, the Government of Ontario passed Bill 5: Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, without any direct consultation or engagement with Oneida Nation of the Thames. This sweeping legislation grants the province powers to override environmental protections, heritage laws, species-at-risk legislation, and legal safeguards — all in favour of fast-tracked industrial development through “Special Economic Zones.”

We want to be clear: our treaties are not with the Province of Ontario. They are with the Crown, as represented in your office. Our Nation-to-Nation relationship — rooted in the 1701 Nanfan Treaty, the One Dish One Spoon Treaty, and the Silver Covenant Chain — is older than Canada itself and remains legally and morally binding.

We did not agree to be governed — we agreed to live in peace, in parallel, with mutual respect.

The Crown’s Failure to Uphold Treaty Obligations

Bill 5 represents a serious breach of those treaties. The legislation:
– Bypassed direct consultation with Oneida, despite significant impacts to our lands and rights
– Replaces protective environmental legislation with industry-first policy
– Weakens species and habitat protections, including medicines and lands we steward
– Contains legal shields that extinguish our ability to seek remedy or redress

This is not only a political failure — it is a betrayal of the relationship between the Crown and our Nation. The Silver Covenant Chain binds us to meet with respect, to renew and restore the relationship when it is strained. At this moment, the chain has been deeply tarnished.

And yet — we have not broken it.

Direct Engagement with the Crown is Now Required

Oneida Nation of the Thames has made clear to provincial leadership that we do not consent to Bill 5. We have also stated that we will not participate in processes that seek to diminish our sovereignty or treat us as stakeholders under Ontario law.

We are not subordinate.
We are not municipalities.
We are a Nation.

It is for this reason that we now call directly upon the Governor General:

– To acknowledge the Crown’s failure to uphold its treaty obligations through Ontario’s unilateral actions
– To recognize Oneida Nation of the Thame’s legal and historical relationship with the Crown as independent from the provinces
– To facilitate direct engagement with the Crown, in your capacity as the King’s representative in Canada

While we recognize that your office is often viewed as symbolic, let us be clear: the treaties were made with the Crown — not the Premier, not Canada, not Ontario. Speaking with the federal government is already a compromise. The Governor General holds the constitutional and diplomatic responsibility to respond on behalf of the Crown when that relationship is under threat.

Treaties Are Living – And So Are We

We are still here.
We are still upholding the Wampum.
We are still speaking the words our ancestors spoke when the Silver Covenant Chain was first made.

This moment requires more than acknowledgements. It requires action. It requires honour. It requires the Crown to come forward and engage in the spirit of peace, friendship, and respect — not silence.

The Oneida Nation of the Thames stands ready to meet with the Crown to renew our relationship and defend the treaties passed down to us. We do this not only for ourselves, but for our children, and the seven generations to come.

We await your response.

Media Contact:
Clara Hill – Communications Generalist
Oneida Nation of the Thames
519-652- 6161
clara.hill@oneida.on.ca