The Angus Reid Institute says that the number of British Columbians viewing the government’s efforts for reconciliation with First Nations as going too far has been increasing in the past weeks.
According to the polling company, the percentage of the population sharing that viewpoint has jumped by nine points to 53 per cent.
The number of people viewing B.C.’s attempts in meeting UNDRIP— a United Nations’ framework for the well-being of Indigenous peoples— a necessary step towards reconciliation, has fallen by the same points to now 30 per cent.
“You are already starting to see some shifts in the way British Columbians at large view where British Columbia’s laws should situate themselves relative to UNDRIP,” explained Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute.
She adds that this development has seen traction since March this year, as political conversations about DRIPA have heightened.
The provincial government articulated concerns that recent court decisions invalidating Crown and city land titles and granting rights to land to Indigenous Tribes pose uncertainty for property owners.
Premier David Eby has been trying to find a solution to what his government calls “confusion,” that is putting “reconciliation and core democratic values” at stake.
Just this week, Eby reversed an earlier decision to table legislation in the B.C. Legislature that would essentially suspend DRIPA.
This flip-flop prompted the opposition to attack the NDP government, calling the premier a “weak leader.”
Pollster Kurl says that this crisis— which Eby admits is his “most challenging issue” that he has had to deal with as premier— is going to hurt the NDP government.
“In this case, whichever way the premier moves, he is bound to upset or find himself offside with a significant number of British Columbians,” she told 1130 NewsRadio.
How badly it will impact Eby and the popularity of his government is to be determined. She adds that B.C. politics have never been straightforward.
“Right now, you have a situation where the Conservatives don’t have a leader. The NDP leader seems to be in a situation where he is walking himself into walls legislatively on a fairly frequent basis.”
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Kurl notes that reconciliation is not a top issue for many British Columbians.
“The known ‘unknown’ is where all of this land with British Columbia voters who are already expressing concern about other issues,” she explained.
“They are more focused on things like housing, affordability, access to primary healthcare than some of the issues that he has been twisting himself into pretzels around.”
Kurl adds that the Angus Reid Institute found that the popularity of the premier had already been dropping before March.
In its last poll, Eby’s support amounted to 37 per cent, down 16 per cent from last March, ranking him number 7 out of ten premiers in the country.