BC NDP defends actions after reports about a secret land deal

NDP leader David Eby is being forced to defend his government’s actions after reports emerged about a secret land deal.

According to confidential documents obtained by Northern Beat, the NDP government has been in negotiations to transfer some 400 parcels of Crown land to First Nations.

The documents also show the government was promising legislative changes to limit compensation for forestry companies that currently have those tenures.

The plan was put on hold when the election was called.

Conservative candidate Scott McInnis says the lack of transparency is disturbing.

“This is nothing new for this government to make these very important decisions around Crown land and First Nations and not tell anybody about it,” he said.

“So I am shocked that… David Eby and the NDP have not learned their lesson that the public has zero appetite for reconciliation which is done behind closed doors.”

Eby says the transfers reflect existing treaties and other commitments under the process of reconciliation, some of them dating back decades, and the proposed legislation was about reducing costs for taxpayers.

“The challenge that we face as a government is that there’s a very significant fiscal cost associated with transferring those tenures to First Nations under these agreements,” Eby said.

“And so what the documents are about, what the proposal was about, was about reducing the cost and the burden of these obligations that we have.”

In the leaders’ debate on Wednesday night, Eby, BC Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson and BC Green Party leader Emily Lowan were asked about the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), which has become a hot election topic.

DRIPA “sets out a process to ensure provincial laws are consistent with the rights defined in the UN Declaration, an action plan to achieve the objectives, and annual reporting on progress,” according to the BC Treaty Commission.

Eby acknowledged this is a crucial issue in B.C. and one that has some residents concerned about property rights.

“There are two cornerstones to our success as a province,” he said.

“One is if we want to be successful, if we want to take advantage of the incredible prosperity out there, there’s only one path forward and that’s in partnership with the Indigenous people in this province. The reason why we’re leading Canada and major projects at the Major Projects Office, the reason why we’ve been able to open so many minds, the reasons why we were able to do LNG Canada Phase II, all of these projects, the reason why these things are happening is because we have entered into those partnerships that are enabled by this law.”

Eby said they are appealing recent court decisions to ensure that private property in B.C. is protected.

Doerkson said if the BC Conservatives are elected, they will repeal DRIPA.

“I’m committed to doing that for a number of reasons,” he said.

“First off, it has not helped. British Columbia has created more division on the landscape than I have ever seen in my life and this legislation is not that old.

“The reality is, is that we are more divided on this topic than ever before. There has to be a better path forward and that is through respect and relations and certainly partnerships with First Nations in this province.”

Doerkson said he is committed to that.

Lowan said that First Nations have been unequivocal in saying that the government must do the work to implement DRIPA.

“Frankly, when we talk about certainty, the uncertainty that has been sown over the last year has been from a premier who can’t seem to make up his mind, and it’s been from a Conservative party that is constantly pushing misinformation and blatant fearmongering,” she said.

“You know, we’ve seen from both parties, you know, just a willingness to engage on this bad-faith argument has no bearing on private property. It sets out the rules for government to go ahead, do their homework and bring up our legislation in alignment with B.C. laws, and the minimum standards set out by the UN on human rights of Indigenous people.”

-with files from The Canadian Press