First Nations leaders say they must be part of “Team Canada” — and decision makers on resource projects — to combat looming U.S. tariffs as they head into a key annual summit with the B.C. government.
Eby's opening remarks at a press conference for the ninth B.C. Cabinet and First Nations Leaders' Gathering on Tuesday focused on the province working closely with Indigenous leadership to address challenges, such as housing affordability, the toxic drug crisis, global inflation and the threat of the U.S. President Donald Trump's trade tariffs.
However, chiefs with the First Nations Leadership Council made it clear that making headway on rights and title issues, decision-making around resource projects and aligning B.C. laws with the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) were their priorities over the next two days.
The declaration is the “cornerstone” of the First Nations relationship with the provincial government, said Regional Chief Terry Teegee, of the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations.
The act was passed unanimously by all parties in 2019, and enshrines the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the minimum standard for Indigenous rights in the province. The act also mandates the government to harmonize provincial legislation with the U.N. declaration and involve First Nations in provincial decision-making related to Indigenous rights, such as land use in traditional territories.
First Nations across the province are also concerned with the ability to take care of their territorial lands, Teegee said.
When it comes to environmental assessments or resource project approvals, First Nations should not only be consulted, but also be involved in “consent-based decision making,” he added.
Chief Cheryl Casimer, of the First Nations Summit political executive, agreed there’s been some measured success, but there is still “a long way to go” for the province and First Nations to achieve key objectives.
Casimer raised concerns that the NDP government’s new mandate to cabinet ministers focus on economic growth and looming U.S. tariffs, but lacked “the spirit and intent of reconciliation.”
“When you take a look at the mandate letters from the previous government, reconciliation was threaded through the whole thing — it was embedded everywhere,” Casimer said.
“It was a strong directive to the ministers to work closely with First Nations, and we need to make sure that that continues to happen.”
First Nations also need to be partners in protecting and growing the economy in the face of Trump's potentially devastating tariffs, the leadership council stressed.
“There can’t be a ’Team Canada’ [approach] if you don’t have a strong contingent of First Nations leadership sitting at that table with you,” Casimer said.
To avoid conflict and to craft a unified response, First Nations must have a voice at the table when decisions are being made that affect their lands and resources, she said, noting the council hasn’t been approached to be part of the tariff strategy.
“We need to be allies. We need to be working together… We need to be good stewards of these lands,” Casimer said. “We need to make sure that these lands and the resources that it provides are available not only to us today, but to our future generations.”
Eby acknowledged the importance of Indigenous representation in “Team Canada” discussions.
“That's certainly not up for debate,” he said. “I know, at least for British Columbia, the topic of tariffs and our response to them will be key topics over the next couple of days.”
Given the heavy involvement of many First Nations in resource industries like forestry and mining, there is concern about the economic impacts of looming tariffs and a need to find alternative markets to reduce dependence on U.S. trade, said Teegee.
However — citing First Nations court battles in a bid to protect their rights tied to mining in their territory — Teegee urged Eby to bring B.C.’s Mineral Tenure Act in line with the U.N. declaration.
On Monday, the Gitxaała Nation and Ehattesaht First Nations launched a Supreme Court appeal in a bid to make DRIPA the province’s legal standard — instead of the mere “duty to consult” — to ensure no mining rights are granted without First Nations’ consent.
The FNLC issued a statement the same day backing the court case.
“The provincial Mineral Tenure Act is not consistent with the Declaration, and the Declaration Act requires the Province to work with First Nations to take all necessary measures to ensure the [Act] is amended to address that inconsistency,” said Teegee.
Rochelle Baker / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada’s National Observer
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