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Vancouver Island First Nation calls on B.C. to honour UNDRIP in historic title case

Nuchatlaht First Nation says Crown counsel continues to stall the case using the B次元官网网址榙istastefulB次元官网网址 argument that the Nation B次元官网网址榓bandonedB次元官网网址 their land
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A photo from 2017, of Nuchatlaht First Nation members outside court after filing a land title case in B.C. ( Submitted photo/Nuchatlaht First Nation).

Almost a year into B.C. adopting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) the Nuchatlaht First Nation (NFN) is calling on the province to honour its legislation with regards to an ongoing land title case.

The Nuchatlaht called on Premier John Horgan, Attorney General David Eby and the newly appointed cabinet ministers to B次元官网网址渃orrect the long-standing government policy that Nuchatlaht abandoned their territory,B次元官网网址 to abide by legislation to uphold the UNDRIP, and to drop its legal argument.

Since Jan. 2017, NFN has been legally pursuing a land claim for territory including Nootka Island, along the northwest coast of Vancouver Island.

B次元官网网址淏ritish ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 lawyers have stalled the case by raising absurdB次元官网网址攁nd expensiveB次元官网网址攁rguments that the Nation abandoned their territory in an effort to disprove continuous use of the land,B次元官网网址 read the statement.

Nuchatlaht house speaker, Archie Little told the Mirror that B次元官网网址渢he case is a classic example of how the province does not understand how our chiefs owned and operated the land.B次元官网网址

NFNB次元官网网址檚 chief (Tyee HaB次元官网网址檞iih) Jordan MichaelB次元官网网址檚 lineage can be traced back to the 1700B次元官网网址檚, said Little, adding that their ancestors have owned the land for thousands of years. The nation claims it was forced out of its traditional territory on Nootka Island, and the land was licensed by the province to logging companies without the consent of the First Nation. Western Forest Products runs its operations there now.

B次元官网网址淏ritish Columbia is trying to silence the Nuchatlaht Nation so that it can do whatever it wants to our land,B次元官网网址 said Michael and added,B次元官网网址淲e will not be silent while our cultural sites are destroyed, salmon creeks are degraded, and old growth forests are clearcut.B次元官网网址

The Nation issued the statement in response to HorganB次元官网网址檚 new cabinet, sworn in yesterday, which includes a new Minister for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Murray Rankin.

After taking office yesterday, Rankin also tweeted yesterday about the significance of being sworn in on the anniversary of Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act passed in B.C. in Nov. 26, 2019.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a great deal of work ahead in order to move reconciliation forward. As a first step, weB次元官网网址檒l be establishing a Secretariat, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples, in order to ensure that new legislation and policies are consistent with the UN Declaration,B次元官网网址 said Rankin in a tweet.

With RankinB次元官网网址檚 appointment to the cabinet, and Horgan emphasizing on the importance of relationship between First Nations and the province, NFN wants to bring to light this historic case once again before the province, said Little.

B次元官网网址淲e have some hope that they will do the right by us, correct their ways and understand where weB次元官网网址檙e coming from,B次元官网网址 said Little.

NFNB次元官网网址檚 attorney, Jack Woodward, said the province B次元官网网址渘ow has an opportunity to advance the project of reconciliation by giving new instructions to Crown counsel to put aside the distasteful defense of abandonment used by previous administrations against First Nations.B次元官网网址

B次元官网网址淣ow is the time to build on the promises made in UNDRIP, which were adopted as part of B.C. law in 2019,B次元官网网址 said Woodward in the statement.



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