VANCOUVER - BC Conservative leadership candidate Iain Black issued the following statement on his position on DRIPA and a path forward on reconciliation:
“British Columbia’s approach to reconciliation has lost its way”.
Not because Indigenous rights are unclear, and not because reconciliation is unimportant — but because this government abandoned the constitutional framework that already recognizes and protects those rights and took B.C. down an ideological path that has thrown us into paralysis and chaos, and put into question private property rights.
Section 35 of the Constitution Act (enacted in 1982) already affirms Aboriginal and treaty rights. It is established law, shaped by decades of court decisions, and designed to balance Indigenous rights with the broader public interest. It is the framework on which reconciliation in Canada was meant to rest.
The NDP government chose a different path. Through the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), it embedded a non-binding United Nations declaration into provincial law – something no other jurisdiction in the world has done. It then went further by amending the Interpretation Act, requiring every statute and decision in British Columbia to be interpreted through that declaration.
The consequences have been severe and predictable: legal uncertainty, delayed or cancelled projects, overlapping claims left unresolved, growing conflict between Nations, and widespread confusion for families, businesses, and communities. Parks have closed. Fisheries have been restricted. Investment has stalled. None of this has delivered real reconciliation or economic opportunity.
This approach has replaced clear decision-making with secrecy and paralysis. That is not reconciliation. It is abdication.
As Premier, I will repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and repeal section 8.1 of the Interpretation Act. British Columbia will return to governing within Section 35 of the Constitution — applying it with discipline, transparency, and confidence.
Courts should continue to review whether governments have followed the law, but they must never substitute themselves for elected decision-makers. Consultation must be meaningful and conducted in good faith. But consultation cannot be misconstrued as providing a veto, nor can governments use it as an excuse for failing to make timely decisions in the interest of all British Columbians.
Reconciliation must not lead to perpetual uncertainty. It requires clear rules, honest engagement, and accountable decisions that allow Indigenous Nations, workers, families, and investors to plan for the future.
British Columbians deserve finality — not ideology, not half-measures, and not endless delay.
Private property rights are not up for negotiation, nor debate. Section 35 already provides the framework required to respect Indigenous rights while building a strong economy. We will revert back to that framework as we build a B.C. where all families – Indigenous and non-Indigenous, alike – can work to build a bright, stable and prosperous future.