After facing mass backlash Wednesday for controversial remarks that First Nations chiefs “can’t just keep coming hat in hand all the time to the government”, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has issued a direct apology to Anishinabek Nations and other First Nations chiefs. “I get passionate because I want to help people. That's what it is,” Ford told reporters in Toronto on Thursday. “I speak from the heart, and sometimes, my words don't come out properly – which I think you've all seen over a number of years,” he added. Though she said her people “weren’t expecting an apology,” Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige made it clear that Ford apologized to her and other First Nations chiefs with sincerity before speaking with the media. Ford’s remarks Wednesday – considered racist by many – come two weeks after the Progressive Conservatives passed Bill 5 into law. The new mining legislation gives the government the power to create Special Economic Zones where laws can be sidestepped, and First Nations groups fear the law will threaten their treaty rights and be used to launch mining and other projects without proper consultation. For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/11249981/doug-ford-first-nations-comments-apologize/ Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ Follow Global News on X HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB #GlobalNews #Ontario #FirstNations #DougFord