Latest News

News Release
June 18, 2021

UBCIC Statement of Condolence on the Passing of Leslie Pinder

((Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – June 18, 2021) It is with shock and profound sadness that the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) learned of the sudden passing of Leslie Pinder on June 12th. Leslie was a lifelong friend of UBCIC who made incredible strides for the recognition and respect of Indigenous peoples and Indigenous Rights across Turtle Island throughout her lifetime.

News Release
June 17, 2021

FNLC Celebrates Passing of Bill C-15 in Canada’s Senate

(Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) is pleased with the passing of Bill C-15 – An Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the Senate of Canada. Bill C-15 is a much-anticipated legislation that will now become enshrined in Canadian law and will begin a transformation in the relationship between the government of Canada and Indigenous peoples.

News Release
June 16, 2021

FNLC Sickened by Findings in Ombudsperson’s Report “Alone: The Prolonged and Repeated Isolation of Youth in Custody”

(Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) is appalled to learn of the disturbing and cruel conditions faced by young people in BC’s youth custody centers, including the use of prolonged solitary confinement measures, with almost no oversight and accountability, and note that a disproportionate number of these youth are Indigenous and also in the care of the child welfare system.

Statement
June 16, 2021

UBCIC Congratulates Dr. Ronald E. Ignace as the First Commissioner of Indigenous Languages

((Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – June 15, 2021) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs would like to offer our deep and heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Ron Ignace, former Kukpi7 of the Skeetchestn Indian Band, on his appointment as the first ever Commissioner of Indigenous Languages for Canada.

UBCIC and Heiltsuk Nation Announce Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond to Intervene in BC Human Rights Case Against Vancouver Police Department Over Racial Profiling and Wrongful Detainment

Indigenous leaders release security camera footage of detainment and reject VPD’s “colour-blind” statement of defence.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA (June 16, 2021) – The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) and Heiltsuk Nation announced today that Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, former judge and Senior Associate Counsel with Woodward & Company, will be applying to intervene on behalf of UBCIC in an ongoing BC human rights case against the VPD for the wrongful detainment of Maxwell Johnson and his granddaughter, outside a bank in Vancouver in December of 2019.

News Release
June 14, 2021

Homeless Evictions in Prince George Must Stop; Supportive Plan Urgently Needed

(Prince George, Lheidli Tenn’eh Territory) The First Nations Leadership Council is calling on the City of Prince George to collaborate with local First Nations organizations and other service providers to immediately develop a workable plan to address homelessness in the city. City Hall distributed notices of eviction to residents of a tent city occupying a vacant lot downtown today, demanding those occupying the site vacate by June 25th, but give no supports for relocation or alternative spaces to live.

News Release
June 11, 2021

No Space for Another Missed Opportunity: FNLC Response to Skye’s Story

(Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) The First Nations Leadership Council is urging all levels of government to recognize the truth shared through “Skye’s Legacy: A focus on belonging”, the most recent report of the Representative for Children and Youth (“RCY”), and to take immediate steps to support First Nations in bringing our children home – where they belong.

Statement
June 8, 2021

UBCIC Stands with Muslim Canadians in the Wake of Terrorist Attack and Islamophobic Murder of Ontario Family

((Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – June 8, 2021) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) is devastated and angered over the Islamophobic terrorist attack on June 6, 2021, that killed four members of a Muslim Pakistani family in London, Ontario and left the only survivor, a nine-year-old boy, in hospital with serious injuries. UBCIC cannot fathom the immense grief, shock, and fear the family’s community and loved ones must be going through, and we extend our most heartfelt condolences to the London Muslim community and all who knew the family.