北極森林廣闊的帶狀區為加拿大原始部落的傳統屬地，國際特赦組織表示，關於目前這片土地的使用已違反了其會員的權益，應即刻停止。
國際特赦組織呼籲，安大略省政府應尊重原住民「草窄族」（Asubpeeschoseewagong，英譯為Grassy Narrows）先前曾發布過的禁伐令，直到以「事先告知並取得同意」原則與原住民完成協商為止。
國際特赦組織發表報告指稱：「安大略省長期以來未能履行其尊重原住民權益的責任，並且在未經有效協商的情況下，即允許大規模的砍伐行動。而原住民希望在達成協議前停止砍伐與工業開發的呼聲，也遭到省府的漠視。」
該報告並指出，根據加拿大最高法院裁決，政府作為若會衝擊到原住民的土地使用，必須先與原住民進行有效的商議和協調，在某些情況下，也必須徵得受影響人民的同意；然而，聯邦、省府的政策及法規，絕大多數都不符合此項要求。
Clearcutting vast swaths of northern boreal forest in the traditional territory of a Canadian indigenous tribe violates the rights of its members and should stop, says Amnesty International Canada.
Amnesty is calling on the Ontario government to respect a moratorium on logging declared by the people of Asubpeeschoseewagong, or Grassy Narrows, until "free, prior and informed consent" has been given.
"The Province of Ontario has long failed to uphold its responsibility to respect indigenous rights," the report states. "The province did not carry out meaningful consultation before licensing large-scale logging activities. And it has ignored clear calls from the community to stop the logging and other industrial development until consent is given."
Canadian Supreme Court rulings require meaningful consultation and accommodation of aboriginal concerns and, in some circumstances, the consent of the affected people before government undertakes activities that impact indigenous land use, the report points out. But all too often, federal and provincial policies and regulations fail to conform to what is required.
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