Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs president Stewart Phillip says repealing B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act cannot be done by “ripping it up.”
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The president of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs says repealing British Columbia’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or DRIPA, would amount to a “declaration of war.”
Stewart Phillip, speaking as the newly elected B.C. Conservative government moves to repeal DRIPA, said First Nations will not accept the agreement being dismantled. “We’re not going to stand idly by while the government-elect does, in fact, rip it up,” Phillip said. “That’s a declaration of war.”
The Conservatives have repeatedly described repealing DRIPA as a top priority during the election campaign. After the vote, Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson said his party is committed to repealing the act, which was unanimously passed in the legislature in 2019.
Doerkson said DRIPA has not addressed the issues it was meant to resolve and pointed to ongoing legal disputes involving matters such as docks at Pender Harbour and mining opportunities in the province. “The reality is it hasn’t solved anything,” he said.
Phillip argued DRIPA should instead be used as a reconciliation framework. He described it as a roadmap to reconciliation and said he expects the new government to work meaningfully with First Nations to recognize their inherent title and rights.
Phillip said the situation presents a choice for the province. “Is British Columbia going to become a war zone, or are we going to continue the challenging work of reconciliation?” he said.
Doerkson said his party is contemplating a shortened fall session, suggesting the DRIPA issue may not be addressed until the spring. First Nations groups, however, have said they oppose repealing the act as proposed.
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