B.C.’s Eby says proposed Indigenous land transfer legislation is about saving money

VICTORIA – British Columbia NDP Leader David Eby is defending draft plans by his previous government to limit the compensation of forest companies when land is transferred to First Nations.

Confidential documents published in the Northern Beat, an online publication, say Eby’s government was planning to transfer about 400 parcels of Crown land to First Nations, while limiting compensation for companies with timber rights on the land.

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 documents say the current law requires the government to compensate forestry firms but “given ongoing fiscal constraints” that would create substantial barriers to completing land returns.

A spokesperson for the Eby campaign says the draft legislation would limit compensation, and if less than five per cent of the existing logging rights were transferred, those holders would not receive any compensation at all. 

The briefing notes, dated Sept. 10, have been revealed just days before the provincial election on Oct. 24. 

The New Democrat platform doesn’t mention the plans, while forest companies needed to sign non-disclosure agreements if they wanted to see them. 

Eby says those types of agreements are standard practice, and he rejected suggestions of secrecy.

A spokesperson for the campaign says cabinet approved engagement with stakeholders in July but the proposal was draft, not final legislation. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.