A group of B.C. First Nations are calling on members of the Legislative Assembly to pause legislation around Bills 20 and 21.
The Wei Wai Kum First Nation (WWK), Nine Allied Tribes (NAT) and Lax Kw’alaams Band (LKB) say that as the bills approach second reading and debate of the K’omoks (Bill 20) and Kitselas (Bill 21) First Nation treaties, politicians should carefully consider the broader public interest and pause the legislation until those issues are addressed.
The Nations say that the K’omoks treaty claims approximately 80 per cent of WWK territory, and the Kitselas treaty would affect more than 90 per cent of NAT and LKB, but neither Nation has been consulted or given consent for these treaties to proceed.
Leaders and members of the three nations were in Victoria and held a rally on Monday outside the legislature.
“We are totally against the Kitselas treaty,” Mayor Garry Reece, Lax Kw’alaams First Nations, said on the steps of the legislature on Monday.
“There’s no doubt we support them getting a treaty, but when they reach into our territory, claim into our territory, we do not agree with that.”
Reece said there are major projects underway on the North Coast and they will not allow those projects to move forward if the government allows other nations to infringe on their territory.
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“I can’t stop my people if they want to put a roadblock up there,” he added. “That’s what my people want to do now because of this treaty.”
Reece said they will halt major projects if they have to, which includes the expansion of the Port of Prince Rupert and proposed LNG pipelines.
“They haven’t properly consulted with us,” he added.
“They need to pause this treaty.”
Chief Chris Roberts, Wei Wai Kum First Nations, said they are not against treaties.
“British Columbia does need treaties,” he said. “We’re not against the treaty process, but they have to be done properly. And there’s a fatal flaw with this treaty in that it doesn’t have a proper recognition of the overlap of the claims of the Comox First Nation.”
B.C.’s Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Spencer Chandra Herbert, said they do need some time to reflect.
“I think we need to take a step back and look at the relationship between Nations and the province and have those conversations,” he said.
“We have been involved for many years now and I would expect them to continue so we can resolve some of the issues between the Nations.”
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Some Nations say the only way forward is to pause the treaty process.
“It shouldn’t be a stretch to pause the Comox treaty process, and that’s what we’re here to ask,” Roberts said.
“For a 180-day period, we’re asking them to put the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs back in place, because these are very complex matters, but they need a lot of minds at the table to make sure they can get them right.”
Roberts said people are growing restless and are concerned for the future, adding that the relationship with the province is “disheartening” and “disappointing.”
Opposition Conservatives have been highly critical of the NDP’s handling of the Indigenous file, both through DRIPA (Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act) and the treaty process.
“What we do not support is an inequitable approach to how this government is going to apply rights without proper protocols in place,” Á’a:líya (A’aliya) Warbus, MLA for Chilliwack-Cultus Lake and the Official Opposition House Leader.
“This government is bypassing those and steamrolling ahead.”
to bad, thats life
Jv
You’re a tool bud. Plain and simple
Seems you’re not the favored indians, you’ll be fighting each other within a year.
WWK,NAT and LKB, more alphabet people.
Bob B is worried the Natives will take away his trailer. Apparently he thinks if he goes online and spreads his pathetic fear mongering it’ll somehow convince the Natives will spare his double wide in his truckstop town somewhere in rural Alberta
Apparently Joe is having another reaction to his medication. Seriously where do these white trash warriors come up with this stuff?
In the 1800’s no politician got to decide what would happen to the natives when “wars” were declared so who are they, judges, to decide for us all what natives are allowed to do today? It is up to the people who fought the wars and won to decide, not the natives or judges or politicians. They do NOT speak for me.
Is it the NDP or is it the Conservatives next door who are trying to push through their own agenda like they are in their own province?? They push through garbage without consulting anyone in the province.
It’s about time FN started paying their way. Contribute to the country. But no, it’s take take take.
All it takes if fn wants to lay claim to your privately owned property is to tie a few chicken bones together, attach a few feathers to it and throw it on your property and cover part of it with some leaves or dirt. Ka boom ! Next thing you know the dripa and Undripa police are there forcing the property owners to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for fn security, archeological assessments and surveys . All because fn claimed those chickens bones and feathers were ceremonial items. Get completely rid of dripa and Undrip. Stop the inequalities.
Reconciliation is over and done with. It’s hard to rationalize why less than 4 % of a province has a premier who give fn everything and more that other citizens do not receive. Why is that Ebey ? Why is Ebey giving in to these people? Do they have something on him ? Is he taking a cut ? Something isn’t right .
If it’s not consultation, it’s extortion . We need to be consulted with archeological assessments on every private property or any kind of development so we can extort money or land from the property owners or developers. Undrip and dripa are so wrong and a violation of land owners all across Canada , Undrip ebey is not in charge of the government, fn are . Get rid of dripa and Undrip.
WHO GIVES A F / K WHAT U PEOPLE WANT, SO SICK AND TIRED OF YOU NATIVES INTERFERING IN EVERYTHING ! YOU THINK YOU PEOPLE OWNED THE WORLD !!! ENOUGH OF THIS B/ S
The situation in BC regarding DRIPA is pure lunacy. I feel like I’m watching a Monthy Python skit, without the humor. Anyone voting NDP after this debacle need to question their sanity. UNDRIP/DRIPA need to repealed asap. Rational citizens need to start making their voices heard.
I cant wait until i am told that i have to foot the legal bill for all of this bull#$*t. Rise citizens of BC, you have nothing to lose but youre chains. (and houses, land, farms, parks, shools,bridges ect)
One nation claiming land from another nation while the latter cries foul. I thought only colonizers did that? This is nothing new; acting like there’s some unified, benevolent “Indigenous voice” has always been absurd. The nations rarely agree on anything of substance – let’s stop pretending like they all live in harmony as some unassailable benchmark and be real.
Haha So I guess it’s not all
powwows and potlatchs between the tribes eh? Go figure!!
Fact check this please-
“Coast Salish peoples were highly populous and engaged in warfare, including against the Chimakum, whom they nearly annihilated in 1902. ” JV is that genocide! JV??
So it wasn’t just settlers huh?
What are we even doing here? Lets just achieve nothing and live in poverty. We can only take steps backwards with these issues never forwards. Nothing will ever be enough.
This would be funny if DRIPA wasn’t all so detrimental to the entire province. How do you actually mismanage an issue like this so badly?
You Vote for a humans rights lawyer as your leader is how.
I agree, I also want all treaties paused, and as a life long tax paying British Columbia, I want to be fully consulted.
I also WANT going forward FN to be the same as me, and pay the same taxes as me.
Did our ancestors make mistakes, absolutely, did FN ancestors make mistakes absolutely….are they lucky the Haida tribe was stopped from their reign of terror, of course.
It is time to all be the same in this country.
Indians have claimed 150% of BCs land area and already appear to be running the govt given Ebys incompetence and backtracking, let them fight this 1 out themselves at their expense.
This is what happens when you have no written documentation and only rely on oral truth. I thought a FN’s oral truth was incontrovertible.
“A 5% minority is willing hold our entire Economy hostage”
Maybe if they had to pay taxes and contribute to the economy they would play nice together
Give us money we are a bunch of entitled lazy useless drunks .
End the Indian Act. Make them equal taxpayers.
Blackmail
The public are not being consulted, the First Nations are not consulting with each other , and the government isn’t consulting with each other or its constituents. What the heck is going on here? What is actually going on?
If one FN band is willing to screw over another FN band without their knowledge behind closed doors just imagine what all the FN bands are doing to the taxpayers and property owners behind their backs given all these closed door negotiations and NDAs that are being signed. This has to stop. Either deal open to the public eye or we don’t deal at all.
Gee. It’s almost like there was no clear ownership at all.
What a mess Eby and the NDP have made of this province.
WOW, like Eby, even FN have figured out that majority public sentiment is against this. And that now tif it goes to a referendum they are screwed.
“ politicians should carefully consider the broader public interest and pause the legislation until those issues are addressed.” I guess they see it as change it or lose it!
Let the public decide! Please,
Now what?
Oh completely disagree amazed yourselves.
What’s the matter,your so called “oral history” isn’t good enough for the FNs between each other but Canada is supposedly expected to buy it no question asked!
Can we please stop this lunacy.
Listen to them.
A 5% minority is willing hold our entire Economy hostage while they squabble with each other like seagulls on the beach over a left over sandwich.
30 years of negotiations, and they weren’t consulted? Seems a bit of a stretch.
The natives groups (tribes), each claim territory that overlaps, because throughout time, they have been warring with each other over the territories they visited. As per a previous court ruling, they should only get reserves (and territory) based on population when BC was formed. Yes, giving Queen Charlotte Islands away was not in the best interest of BC. Each claim should only be for the occupied land, which would be small, and not even come close to overlapping.
Any roadblocks on crown land, should be instantly removed, and the lawbreakers put in jail.
BTW: there should be no special rights given out. Time for common sense and the will of the people to supersede aggressive minorities.
How about we repeal DRIPA. Then we don’t do a single thing more involving the FN while we try to rebuild our economy without them. They can get together and sort out their own problems and issues and come back to us with one single proposal for us to vote on.
( see you in about 100 years)