Retired Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci says he's ready for the latest chapter in his engagement with First Nations communities "since entering civilian life".
<div id="attachment_16269" style="width: 245px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/aw_award_01.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-16269" class="size-medium wp-image-16269" alt="(Toronto Star file photo)" src="http://www.qpbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/aw_award_01-235x300.jpg" width="235" height="300" /></a>(Toronto Star file photo)</div>
Iacobucci was named this morning as Ontario's chief negotiator with Chiefs of the Matawa Tribal Council on the sensitive and regionally important Ring of Fire file. This comes only months after he wrapped up his report on reforms to Ontario's jury system to increase inclusion of First Nations in Ontario's juries.
Iacobucci told QP Briefing Tuesday that he's looking forward to the challenge of representing the province's interests—across the table from Bob Rae, who will be the lead negotiator for the Matawa Tribal Council.
"We know each other and I have huge respect for [Rae]," Iacobucci said. "He was a student when I was Dean at the [University of Toronto] Law School. So I've known him for a long time."
Iacobucci was reticent to speak in detail about his views or aims on the negotiations with the Matawa Council, as the news of his appointment was only hours old when he spoke with QP Briefing, but says he's happy to continue the work he's done with First Nations in Ontario.
"I find it hard to say no to these opportunities because they're so important," Iacobucci noted as he listed his previous work chairing the selection committee for the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Committee, as well as his work on jury review.
"So I'm excited by that challenge, and I'm looking forward to meeting the chiefs as soon as we can."
PC Northern Development and Mines critic Norm Miller praised Iacobucci's selection as lead negotiator but accused the Liberal government of otherwise letting the Ring of Fire file languish.
"I mean, the government was talking about it in the throne speech of 2007, and there seems to have been very little progress," Miller said Tuesday afternoon. "There's a lot of talk and not much to show for it."
"The government hasn't been doing enough to make it all happen," he said. "<a href="http://news.ontario.ca/mndmf/en/2012/05/thousands-of-jobs-coming-to-northern-ontario.html">A year ago when then-minister Rick Bartolucci made the announcement</a> about Cliffs it sounded like the mine was opening and they were about to start production."
A year later, Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. has <a href="http://www.qpbriefing.com/2013/06/13/wynne-on-ring-of-fire-hotseat-with-northern-media/">halted its environmental assessment work</a> in the Ring of Fire, citing in part the slow pace of approvals from the government.
Miller repeated his party's position that the Ring of Fire requires a single person to be responsible for pushing the development forward, and that it should be the Northern Development and Mines Minister
"On the government's own press release, they had the premier and three ministers all giving quotes," Miller said. "I think there needs to be one ministry."
Iacobucci says the Ring of Fire may be an opportunity in the future, but it also fits in with Ontario's history.
"It's traditionally a province of great resources, and this is a great opportunity that is very very exciting. This falls in with that history of resource development and the north is going to be playing a big role in this."

‘Hard to say no’ for Iacobucci

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