Exercise 4: Documentary Reflection
May 26, 2026 By: Yanran Lu
Mainstream source: CBC News- “Two First Nations working on roads to Ring of Fire speak out against Ontario’s new mining law” (June 2025)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/first-nation-ring-of-fire-1.7557343
Alternative source: The Narwhal- First Nations consultations aren’t the roadblock to ‘unleashing’ the Ring of Fire
https://thenarwhal.ca/opinion-bill-5-indigenous-consultation/
The Ring of Fire is one of the most controversial environmental issues in Ontario right now. The region contains valuable minerals that the Ontario government and mining companies want to develop. In 2025, the Ford government passed Bill 5, which gives the province more power to speed up mining projects and reduce certain environmental protections in “special economic zones.” The CBC article explains that even some First Nations involved in Ring of Fire road projects spoke out against the new mining law because of concerns about consultation and fast-tracked development. The Narwhal article gives more historical background and argues that First Nation consultation is not the real barrier to development. Instead, it connects the issue to the government’s long history of failing Indigenous communities in Treaty 9 territory.
The documentaries from this course helped me understand how different types of environmental activism can influence public opinion. In How to Change the World, Greenpeace used peaceful protests and media attention to spread its message. Their actions were dramatic, but they were also non-violent, which helped many people support their cause. In contrast, If a Tree Falls showed how the Earth Liberation Front used more extreme tactics like arson. Because of this, the media and government focused more on the crimes they committed than on the environmental issues they wanted people to notice. This showed me that the way activists present themselves can affect whether the public sympathizes with them or not.
The Wet’suwet’en protests in 2020 are a good example of this issue. The railway blockades caused major disruptions across Canada, but the protests were also connected to Indigenous sovereignty and land rights. Many supporters believed the protests were a legitimate defence of First Nations’ rights and environmental protection, while critics thought the blockades were too disruptive. Unlike more violent forms of activism, the Wet’suwet’en movement relied mainly on legal arguments, protests, and public attention to make its case. This helped bring national attention to issues like Indigenous consultation, treaty rights, and environmental responsibility.
These documentaries and current events make me think that civil disobedience can sometimes create positive change, especially when movements are able to keep public attention focused on the core issue instead of violence. Environmental conflicts today are not only about nature, but also about politics, Indigenous rights, and the economy.