BC Conservatives want Indigenous rights law UNDRIP repealed, sparking pushback

John Rustad signalled his intention to 'repeal' a law adopting the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was adopted unanimously in 2019.

British Columbia saw a rare unanimous vote in its legislature in October 2019, when members passed a law adopting the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, setting out standards including free, prior and informed consent for actions affecting them.

The law “fundamentally changed the relationship” between First Nations and the province, said Terry Teegee, regional chief of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations.

“Rather than having some sort of consultation, right now we’re actually talking about shared decision-making,” Teegee said in an interview.

John Rustad threw his support behind the legislation as a member of the Official Opposition B.C. Liberal Party, but as the B.C. Conservative leader he has since signalled his intention to “repeal” the law if his party wins the Oct. 19 provincial election.

Rustad said in a statement on the Conservatives’ website last February, that the UN declaration, known as UNDRIP, was “established for conditions in other countries — not Canada.”

Teegee said Rustad was “creating enemies” with First Nations.

“As we come to Sept. 30, he’s repealing, in a way, reconciliation,” Teegee said in an interview ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. “He’s undoing a lot of the good work that many people in this province have worked toward.”

B.C.’s legislation adopts the declaration as the framework for reconciliation and charts a path for the province to negotiate agreements with First Nations aimed at establishing shared decision-making in their territories.