Latest News

News Release
June 1, 2023

A Call for Urgent Action on Wild Salmon Day

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – June 1, 2023) Four years after Wild Salmon Day was established, wild salmon are in an increasingly desperate state and facing extinction along the West Coast. The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) celebrates and honors our salmon relatives and urges all levels of government to take immediate and drastic action to protect wild salmon.

News Release
May 6, 2023

UBCIC Will Not Attend King Charles III Coronation

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – May 6, 2023) Today, King Charles III and Queen Consort will celebrate his Coronation at Westminster Abbey in London, England. The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) will not be attending the ceremony, nor was an invite received or requested.

News Release
May 5, 2023

UBCIC Demands End of Targeted Violence by Authorities on National Day of Awareness for MMIWG2S

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – May 5, 2023) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) is calling on all authorities to end discrimination, sexism, and violence enacted by the multilateral justice systems against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people on the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People.

22 GROUPS CALL FOR END TO TOFINO FISH FARM EXPANSIONS

Tofino BC, 26 April 2023—As fish farms are being closed around British Columbia, Cermaq Canada has requested a fourth permit to expand their operations near Tofino. Cermaq now has only 14 fish farms left in British Columbia—all in the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

The Honourable Marc Miller
Minister, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Sent via email only

Dear Minister Miller,

The National Claims Research Directors (NCRD) writes to thank you for your letter of March 31, 2023, in response to our February 15^th open letter to you and Minister Lametti. While we are encouraged by the constructive tone of your reply, there remain areas of acute concern to First Nations that must be addressed immediately so that research on First Nations claims can proceed.

Statement
April 21, 2023

UBCIC Remembers and Honours Dr. Gloria Cranmer Webster

((xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – April 21, 2023) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) wishes to acknowledge the passing of Dr. Gloria Cranmer Webster, and extend our deep, heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, loved ones, and community. She will be truly missed by those who were privileged to witness her passionate and tireless advocacy for the reclamation of First Nations culture, language, and traditions and her support and love for her family and community.

Statement   
April 20, 2023

Legalized but Still Excluded; FNLC Calls for Change to Cannabis Laws

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) In 2018, cannabis was legalized without meaningful engagement or consultation with First Nations. As people gather on April 20^th to engage in further advocacy around cannabis, the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) calls on the governments of British Columbia and Canada to align the cannabis legal framework with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and support First Nations fulsome participation in the cannabis economy.

BC First Nations highlight Canadian banks’ pattern of supporting Trans Mountain Expansion through preferential rates

April 19, 2023

xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Territory/Vancouver, B.C. 

This week Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) and the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) wrote letters to the CEO of Canada’s six largest banks, RBC, BMO, TD, Scotiabank, CIBC and National Bank regarding the $10 billion loan currently being negotiated for the Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMX).