FNLC Calls for Newly Elected B.C. Conservatives to Uphold Title and Rights and Keep DRIPA as Framework for Reconciliation

October 26, 2026

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) The B.C. Conservative Party has won a majority government in the snap provincial election on October 24^th. The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) is ready to work with the incoming government to advance reconciliation and uphold title and rights, as mandated by First Nations in B.C. and as required by the common law, Canadian jurisprudence and Canada’s Constitution.

By a notable coincidence, on October 24^th, 2019, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Declaration Act or DRIPA) was introduced, widely supported and unanimously passed in the legislature. A key failure of Premier Eby’s NDP Government lay in its inability to clearly communicate a transparent and accountable implementation plan for the Declaration Act, which contributed to the spread of misinformation and fear. Despite this, the historic legislation provides a framework to advance reconciliation and achieve certainty in B.C. through upholding the pre-existing rights of First Nations, including human rights affirmed in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. First Nations continue to support the framework for reconciliation in the Declaration Act as a meaningful and constructive path forward.

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