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First Nation youth are continuing the push to make themselves heard, including members of a group called Mahmo Inninuwuk Wiibuseego-stamok, a James Bay Cree phrase that means ‘uniting the people to stand together’.
The group has started a protest walk to travel from Timmins to Queen’s Park in the city of Toronto to bring attention to their dissatisfaction over Ontario’s Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025, and Canada’s Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, which encompasses the Building Canada Act.
“This protest is a call to the provincial and federal government to repeal Bill 5 and Bill C-5 as it has destroyed Indigenous and government relations and trust,” said Tristan Ashishkeesh, one of the founders of the movement.
He is the former executive director of the Ojibway and Cree Cultural Centre in Timmins. After having held this position for three years, he resigned to help start the group after seeing the Okiniwak youth protest that took place at Queen’s Park, the seat of the Ontario legislature, on July 1. Okiniwak is another grassroots youth movement led by Ramon Kataquapit of Attawapiskat First Nation and Kohen Chisel of Lac Seul First Nation. These youth protesters faced a large police presence that blocked off and controlled movements in the city’s downtown in the midst of Canada Day celebrations.
The Mahmo Inninuwuk Wiibuseego-stamok group started their walk in downtown Timmins on July 15, led by a core group of organizers and walkers including Ashishkeesh, Sage Iahtail, Craig Koostachin, Naomi Fletcher and Konstantinov Wesley. They are providing regular daily updates on their group page on Facebook at Mahmo Inninuwuk Wiibuseego-stamok.
Several prominent supporters have joined the walk as it slowly makes their way south. Nishnawbe-Aski Nation (NAN) Deputy Grand Chief Mike Metatawabin of Fort Albany First Nation joined the walk for five kilometers to show his support.
On July 19, several women traditional leaders joined the walk to show their support, including Elder Angela Ashishkeesh, Elizabeth Spence-Etherington and Claire Koostachin, who are Attawapiskat First Nation members. Rick Cheechoo of Moose Cree First Nation also participated.
“I am walking to support my grandson Tristan and the other youth as many of these boys are all related to Treaty signatories from Attawapiskat. I pray as I walk for all our people that we can all be united across Turtle Island and the world,” said the Elder.
Now in her late 70s, Angela Ashishkeesh is a survivor of the St. Anne’s Residential School and has spent decades representing and speaking for the James Bay Cree in many capacities.
“It has always been like this with the government who has always worked to try to take away the flame that is in our hearts, the fire that was put there by the Creator when we were born. They tried to kill me and the Indian in me when I was in residential school, but they did not succeed and they will not succeed in what they are doing to our First Nations now,” she said.
Tristan Ashishkeesh said the walk protest is centred on three main ideas.
“First, we want to unite all Indigenous people across Turtle Island to let them know that our concerns are being pushed aside. Secondly, we want the provincial and federal governments to repeal these bills. And lastly, we want to show that we have to uphold our people’s natural laws that the Creator gave us, including the laws of kindness, honesty, sharing and strength,” he said.
The protest walkers are connecting with many supporters along their journey. In Matheson on July 17, they were greeted and fed through direct support and donations by the leadership of Apitipi Anicinapek First Nation. On July 19, as they passed through the Kenogami area, they were invited to an evening with the community of Matachewan First Nation to meet with supporters and to be fed and resupplied for their long walk.
The group plans on connecting with other First Nations along their route and take part in a rally in North Bay in the coming week to meet with supporters and create more awareness of their campaign and movement.