Global first: B.C. government unveils Indigenous action plan

From creating new institutions to renaming communities, B.C. has unveiled an action plan for upholding the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The plan, released Wednesday, details 89 actions to be taken by all provincial ministries over the next five years.

Premier John Horgan described the plan as a "whole of government approach" and said it was his hope all actions will be completed by 2027, although he admitted that may not be possible.

The plan follows four central themes: self-determination and the right of self-government; title and rights of Indigenous Peoples; ending Indigenous-specific racism; and social, cultural and economic well-being.

Several First Nations leaders spoke during the news conference announcing the plan. Some, like Chief Cheryl Casimer of the First Nations Summit said some major issues still haven't been addresed, pointing specifically to the need to involve Indigenous British Columbians in political decision-making.

"This big house was never really open to us as Indigenous people or people of colour," she said, referring to the provincial legislature.

"That is slowly going to change, but the legislative process currently in place is archaic and colonial."

Chief Lydia Hwitsum of the Cowichan Tribes was hopeful the action plan will lay the groundwork for meaningful, government-to-government relationships moving forward.

"We're very well aware where the pitfalls are. We've experienced them. What this is, is an opportunity to go around the pitfalls and work together as partners," she said.

BC Assembly of First Nations' Regional Chief Terry Teegee told CTV News the action plan would transform the relationship between the province and First Nations, Metis and Inuit people. He called it a good first step.

"But there still is room for improvement," he added. "In terms of making sure that the government is accountable for the commitments that we've seen in the action plan."

The province is currently involved in several court disputes with First Nations, and this plan won't bring those actions to an end. Protests and blockades continue in northern B.C., for example, where a court injunction has led to dozens of arrests of those opposing the contruction of a pipeline on Wet'suwet'en territory.

Chief Jerry Jack, a board member with the Assembly of First Nations, shared his experience of attending blockades as a child in the 1970s alongside his dad.

"This picture says it all – I don't want my grandkids to grow up in the struggles I have," he said, pointing to the cover of the action plan, which features a young Indigenous girl.

In 2019, B.C. was the first jurisdiction in North America to adopt the UN declaration, which requires governments to obtain free, prior and informed consent before taking actions that affect Indigenous Peoples and their lands.

It required the government to align its laws with the declaration and a draft implementation plan was released last summer. The act also stipulates that alignment must happen “in consultation and co-operation” with Indigenous Peoples.

“The action plan will serve as the vehicle to drive transformational change across government,” said Murray Rankin, B.C.'s Indigenous relations and reconciliation minister Wednesday.

Rankin called the plan a “global beacon of peace and reconciliation,” saying B.C. is the first jurisdiction in the world to introduce an Indigenous reconciliation plan, which will not be allowed to “gather dust.”

He said the timeline to achieve the goals could take “a generation” for some, while others have already been achieved. But overall, he said large steps will be taken over the next five years.

The goals include establishing a secretariat to help the government ensure legislation is consistent with the declaration, conducting an Indigenous-specific racism review in the province's education system, and reviewing the process for naming municipalities and regional districts. The report also said the government will aim to train and hire more Indigenous teachers for the public school system.