NAN Protest Goes to Queen's Park

Nishnawbe Aski Nation took its opposition to a bill seeking to map land in the Far North to the Ontario legislature to ask the government to scrap the plan.

Grand Chief Stan Beardy, along with several youth and other aboriginal leaders, says the bill infringes on First Nation treaty rights.

Beardy says the plan will give the government too much power to decide how to handle lands where First Nations live, and argues the consultation process is so rushed that it's not legitimate.

New Democrat Gilles Bisson says the government is ``mucking up''the process by leaving out the people most directly affected - just like with the Mining Act.

Bisson says even the industry agrees the process needs more time to clarify rules and avoid confrontations down the road.

The Ministry of Natural Resources insists there's still plenty of time to make changes to the bill - promises to protect at least 225,000 square kilometres in a network of conservation areas - noting the current round of consultations is just the beginning of a lengthy process.