Utoo Radio - December 23, 2024 - The Anishinabek First Nations in Ontario, Canada, and the United States are calling for greater recognition and respect of the minerals within the Great Lakes Region, which they say, are their ancestral lands and traditional territories.

The Anishinabek First Nations claim an inherent right to be consulted and give consent regarding any activities that may impact their territories, but say reconciliation partners are misleading inhabitants of these lands and beyond the Medicine Line.

The organizatyion says the province's leadership has misled stakeholders, including the United States, regarding the status of these minerals, undermining their rights and disregarding their voices in resource management decisions.

The Anishinabek Nation Leadership Council emphasized that the revenues generated from their territories are not taxpayers' dollars or tariffs but are the wealth of the Anishinabek people, as agreed upon when the Crown entered into Treaties with their ancestors.

The AFNO says all stakeholders must acknowledge and respect the rights of the Anishinabek First Nations, prioritize their interests in decisions regarding mineral exploration and extraction, and prioritize the preservation of their heritage and lands.