FNLC Marks the One Year Anniversary of the Passage of Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and Calls for Substantive Action

November 26, 2020

(Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) Today the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) acknowledges the one-year anniversary since British Columbia became the first province in Canada and one of the first jurisdictions in the world to enshrine the human rights of Indigenous peoples in law. Bill 41, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Declaration Act), was passed unanimously on November 26, 2019.

This landmark legislation was a result of the collective efforts from Indigenous peoples across the province to advance a framework for reconciliation based on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The journey from Bill 41 to the Declaration Act, although long and full of challenges, saw unprecedented collaboration between the Province and First Nations and renewed vigor from the government to positively advance the First Nations-Crown relationship.