Two First Nations leadership sources say British Columbia Premier David Eby is backing down again on the suspension of key parts of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, scrapping plans to table legislation on Monday.
One of the sources says the suspension bill — which was already delayed last week — won’t be tabled this legislative session, as a result of planned protests by First Nations.
The latest plan to table the suspension on Monday lasted just a few hours after it emerged Sunday, and was immediately repudiated by First Nations leaders who have also opposed previous plans to amend DRIPA instead.
Eby has said a recent court decision on B.C.’s mineral claims regime that cited DRIPA puts the province at serious litigation risk.
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The premier, Attorney General Niki Sharma and Indigenous Relations Minister Spencer Chandra Herbert were meeting First Nations leaders late Sunday to discuss the latest moves on DRIPA, according to a source attending the online meeting.
The plan to table the suspension bill on Monday had prompted the First Nations Leadership Council to tell legislators to reject it, before that proposal was dropped.