First Nations leaders in British Columbia are united in opposition to a proposed provincial move that would suspend parts of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).
DRIPA, which was unanimously passed in the legislature in 2019, has been under a political microscope for months, after recent B.C. Court of Appeal rulings on mining and property rights were decided in favour of First Nations.
Indigenous leaders say DRIPA is fine the way it is and that any attempt to make unilateral changes is a betrayal of reconcilliation.
“We will not tolerate misinformation, prejudice, racism that our First Nations are experiencing right now,” said First Nations Summit leader Robert Phillips.
“The premier is only adding fuel to the fire.”
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Other leaders say they are questioning Premier David Eby’s leadership.
“I think the problem is Premier Eby himself,” said Grand Chief Steward Phillip.
“I think the NDP has a colossal leadership problem here in British Columbia.”
Eby has said the government faces “very serious litigation risk” if DRIPA remains as it is, but the leaders say his proposed changes are a “strategy of denial” that hurts reconciliation efforts between the B.C. government and First Nations.
Responding to the condemnation at an unrelated news conference, Eby defended his move to suspend the act temporarily.
“I cannot in good conscience leave this litigation risk unaddressed,” he said.
“I have tried my hardest, our team has tried our hardest, to work with First Nations council and others to find the least invasive path to address this risk.”
But First Nations leaders argue the opposite, saying if the proposed pause on the legislation goes through, it would escalate tensions and lead to more court challenges.
“The strategy of deny, delay, denounce is not a strategy that will be successful in British Columbia,” said Lyackson Nation Hereditary Chief Shana Thomas.
With Eby tying his government’s future to this decision, Phillip says his wife, who is part of Eby’s caucus, is at least one MLA who is against the pause.
“I know that she does not support the suspension,” he said.
“She does not support any tinkering or meddling with DRIPA.”
If the vote fails when it’s brought up in the legislature, British Columbians could be heading to the polls before summer.