By Cheryl Jahn

BC Assembly of First Nation looks forward to new relationship with government

Oct 31, 2024 | 3:22 PM

PRINCE GEORGE -With the NDP re-elected to form government, Regional Chief Terry Teegee with the Assembly of First Nations says now is the time to build on the work done in recent years.

“What we expect is continuation on work with what we’ve already done over the last five, seven years, in particular the full implementation and expression of the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which really affects all matters in First Nations.”

As such, the BC AFN says it fully expects three things to be included in the next Legislative Calendar:

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* Negotiations between the Province and First Nations must resume as soon as the interregnum has concluded, with strong cross-ministry mandates that ensures the full application of the Declaration of Indigenous Peoples Act the call for changes to key pieces of legislation including but not limited to the Mineral Tenure Act, the Land Act and the Environmental Assessment Act.

*A full public inquiry into the deaths of First Nations people at the hands of police must be launched.

*Continued and ongoing support for First Nations pursuing financial independence through economic development must be secured.

As the BC AFN has noted, the Land Act is something that needs attention. Changes were introduced in January. They proposed giving First Nations more decision-making powers when it comes to public lands. But public backlash quickly had government putting those changes on hold.

“The Land Act changes – because it wasn’t connected to any agreement because it was disconnected from any specific initiative – it was open to the possibility of creating concern, which it did. It created huge anxiety in the business community and rural communities. What does it mean? What’s it going to look like for us? And so there’s a lesson in that for us,” says Premier-Designate David Eby.

But Teegee says that issue is not going away.

“Many of the developments that occur within First Nations alliance affect them,” says Teegee. “First Nations have stated that we’re not interested in private property, as stated by John Rustad. There was a lot of fear-mongering. And this is why we’re one of the reasons why the NDP walked back in terms of the full implementation and amendments to the Land Act. So I think we’re willing to come to the table.”

A wrinkle with this government is that the two individuals who dealt with this file the most – Nathan Cullen and Murry Rankin – are gone.

“Well, depending on the person and the person’s background, I think, somebody that’s knowledgeable, would be very helpful in terms of addressing many of these issues,” says Teegee.