Letter to the editor: From discovery to extraction: How Pierre Poilievre’s Ring of Fire vision echoes colonial doctrines

By Bizhiki Niibowid

When Pierre Poilievre talks about “unlocking the resources of the North,” especially in the mineral-rich Ring of Fire region, many Canadians hear a message of prosperity. But for Indigenous peoples whose Nations have long protected those lands, this language rings with the echoes of centuries-old colonial doctrines most notably, the Doctrine of Discovery and Terra Nullius.

The Doctrine of Discovery, born out of 15th-century papal bulls, granted European powers the right to claim any land not inhabited by Christians. It erased the existence of Indigenous governance, land stewardship, and sovereignty. Later reinforced by the idea of Terra Nullius (land belonging to no one), colonizers claimed vast territories on the basis that if the land wasn’t being used in a European way (farming, building cities), it was legally vacant.

These doctrines weren’t abstract ideas they became the legal and moral backbone of colonization around the world, and they were used to justify theft, displacement, and violence. Canada’s foundation rests on these very ideas, and though we speak now of reconciliation, their legacy continues to shape policy, law, and political rhetoric.

When Poilievre speaks of “getting gatekeepers out of the way,” one must ask who are these gatekeepers? In practice, they are often Indigenous Nations who say no to environmental destruction and to development that ignores their free, prior, and informed consent. Nations like Neskantaga have long opposed Ring of Fire development that threatens their land, water, and future, yet their refusal is framed as obstruction.

This framing echoes how Indigenous resistance was once dismissed as “savage.” The belief remains: Indigenous land is only valuable when extracted. And when Indigenous peoples assert rights to protect it, they are seen as impediments to progress.

But progress for whom?

This is not a new story. The language has simply changed. The colonial mindset that once relied on papal decrees now hides behind terms like “economic potential,” “unleashing prosperity,” and “national interest.” But the outcome is the same: displacement, disruption, and dispossession.

There is, however, a growing global reckoning with these colonial foundations. In March 2023, the Vatican officially repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery, acknowledging that the papal bulls that justified colonization were “not part of the Catholic faith” and had been “manipulated for political purposes by colonial powers.” While this admission came far too late, it affirmed what Indigenous Peoples have always known: these doctrines were morally bankrupt.

Yet here in Canada, the systems shaped by these doctrines remain largely intact. Court rulings, land claims, and extraction projects continue to operate with assumptions rooted in them. The Ring of Fire is just the latest chapter.

Let’s be clear: the North is not empty. It is not undeveloped. It is not waiting to be “unlocked.” It is already home to sovereign Indigenous Nations that maintain a deep spiritual and legal relationship with the land, one that predates Canada and will outlast any politician’s term.

And as we listen to leaders like Poilievre speak of “unleashing potential,” I can’t help but wonder, if this is how he plans to treat the land, what plan does he have for our children?

We’ve seen this pattern before. When the land was taken, the next target was always the children. And the institutions that followed, the Indian Residential Schools System, the child welfare system, the underfunded education structures were all rooted in that same ideology: that Indigenous Peoples stood in the way of progress.

It’s time we stop calling that progress and start calling it what it is: the continuation of colonialism under a new name.