It was a remarkable week in the Legislature in Victoria.
On Tuesday, just two days before the fall session adjourned for the decade, all Members of the British Columbia Assembly voted in favour of Bill 41, The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
The Bill was introduced with much ceremony and celebration on October 24th. Following second reading speeches, a two week break for Thanksgiving and Remembrance Day and extensive scrutiny at committee stage, Lt. Governor Janet Austin gave the Act Royal Assent with a simple nod on Thursday morning.
The occasion marks the end of my two-year effort to ensure the government followed through on the commitment they made to British Columbians during the 2017 election, and to the BC Greens in our Confidence and Supply Agreement, to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It marks the beginning of the next effort.
With the Act receiving support from all Members, or nemine contradicente (meaning nobody contradicting) as the Clerk announces following a vote with no nays, it sends a strong message of the direction our province is heading.
The passing of the Bill marks a turning point in the history of our province that I have written about extensively over the past year. It’s the end of the Legislative work and the beginning of the next stage.
All aspects of our society have become accustomed to the way it was; now, we accept the way it is and embrace the challenge of defining the way it will be.
An action plan for DRIPA
To that end, there are many questions to answer and the need to develop an action plan to ensure we successfully navigate the way ahead. So we must turn our minds from the hard work that got us here to the hard work in front of us. It will require a commitment to lay out both the process of developing an action plan and its substance.
In terms of process: what are the steps, what are the roles of each of the stakeholders, how do we ensure it’s sustainable, what about reporting and accountability, how does the process grow and evolve?
In terms of substance: what are the priorities and objectives, how is it structured, what about resources, how are existing laws aligned, what about nation re-building, and how are we developing consent-based decision-making?
These are exciting questions to be tackling. I’m thrilled to be here at this moment in history and I will continue to work with the provincial government to ensure they do not lose focus of the incredibly important work at hand.
A great step forward for all of us. Thank you for your guidance.
Here, here!
If only Trudeau had followed up on his promise of ratifying UNDRIP, instead of cynically letting it languish as a private members bill, knowing full well it wouldn’t get through the Senate without the active support of The Government. SHAME!
That is the next step, to force the newly-weakened Federal Government to properly ratify UNDRIP. But everybody who wants a pipeline knows what that would mean.
This is fantastic news, thanks for your perseverance in making this happen, Adam! Great work! I’m proud that our beautiful province has lead the way and become the first jurisdiction in Canada to ratify the UNDRIP.