Latest News

August 9th, 2026

OPEN LETTER: Wildfires and Floods are Devastating Communities; Canada and Alberta Must Stop Expanding the Fossil Fuel Industry and Respect First Nations Rights 

Dear Prime Minister Carney and Premier Smith:

Today, on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) calls on the governments of Canada and Alberta to immediately halt efforts to advance the proposed West Coast Oil Pipeline.  This proposal threatens both the inherent rights of First Nations and accelerates the expansion of the fossil fuel industry at a time when communities across the country are already experiencing devastating climate disasters. Canada cannot claim to respect Indigenous rights while ignoring free, prior and informed consent, nor can it claim climate leadership while approving infrastructure designed to expand oil production.  This day recognizes the rights, cultures, knowledge, and enduring contributions of Indigenous Peoples around the world, but it must also be a day of accountability. Governments cannot celebrate Indigenous Peoples while making decisions about our lands and waters without us.

August 6, 2026

OPEN LETTER: Urgent call to renew and sustain federal funding for MMIWG2S+ 

Dear Prime Minister Carney and Minister Alty,

Members of the Coalition on Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit+ People (MMIWG2S+) in B.C. (“The Coalition”) write to express our grave concern regarding the federal government’s decision to allow critical funding for MMIWG2S+ supports, Indigenous women’s organizations, families, survivors and community-led initiatives to sunset without adequate notice, transparency or a clear plan for renewal. We call on you to work with the Minister of Women and Gender Equality, the Minister of Finance and National Revenue, families and survivors and Indigenous women’s organizations to:

News Release
July 20, 2026 

The First Nations Leadership Council and Our Children Our Way Society Honour the Extraordinary Service of Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Member Edward Lustig

(xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.)
The First Nations Leadership Council and the Our Children Our Way Society (OCOW) extend their sincere gratitude to Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) Member Edward Lustig following his resignation from the Tribunal panel overseeing the landmark First Nations Child and Family Services and Jordan's Principle human rights case.

News Release

July 13, 2026

Coroner’s inquest into Tatyanna Harrison’s death raises serious compliance, accountability concerns
Justice for Girls, BCCLA and UBCIC call for review by Ministry of Public Safety

Unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səlilwətaɬ Nations / Vancouver, B.C. | July 13, 2026 — The B.C. Coroner’s Inquest into the disappearance and death in 2022 of Tatyanna Harrison, a 20-year-old Cree, Métis and Brazilian woman living in Vancouver, exposed numerous missteps that occurred with policing agencies and the B.C. Coroners Service. New information that emerged during the inquest raises fresh concerns regarding the adequacy of the death investigation, compliance with standards, as well as broader issues of accountability and coordination within these agencies, say Justice for Girls, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA), and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC).

NEWS RELEASE
July 7, 2026 

First Nations Leadership Council Raises Concerns over Fast-Tracked Fossil Fuel Expansion Without First Nations Consent 

(xʷməθkʷə ̓yəm (Musqueam), Sḵw ̱xwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) – The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) is deeply troubled by the coordinated efforts of the federal and provincial governments to fast-track new fossil fuel infrastructure and energy export proposals in British Columbia under the pretext of economic development and national interest. First Nations have been clear: reconciliation cannot coexist with unilateral decisions that undermine First Nations’ rights, title, human and treaty rights, the standards of free, prior, and informed consent, and the constitutional duty to consult and accommodate.

News Release
July 3, 2026 

UBCIC Responds to Coordinated Government Push for Fossil Fuel Expansion in British Columbia

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/ Vancouver, B.C. – July 3, 2026) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) is raising serious concerns following multiple announcements by the Governments of Canada, British Columbia and Alberta to accelerate major resource development, including increased support for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) infrastructure and a proposed oil pipeline corridor terminating at Roberts Bank. UBCIC questions if the proposed oil pipeline corridor has the consent of all impacted First Nations, and raises deep alarm over the irreversible climate impacts of the proposed projects, while celebrating the resolve of Coastal First Nations who have successfully kept the north coast out of a new pipeline route.

News Release
June 21, 2026

Why Our Lands Are Not For Sale: Celebrating Mildred C. Poplar's Book Release on National Indigenous Peoples Day

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/ Vancouver, B.C. – June 21, 2026) As First Nations and all Indigenous Peoples across the country celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day, the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) proudly celebrates the recent release of Why Our Lands are Not For Sale: The Inside Story of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (Why Our Lands are Not for Sale) by longtime UBCIC advocate and staff member, Mildred C. Poplar. The UBCIC honoured the publication of the book at the June 3, 2026, Chiefs Council meeting held at Shxwhá:y Village (Sto:lo Territory), while also recognizing Millie's decades of service and her invaluable contributions to documenting our collective history and helping us chart the path forward.

New, First Nations-led guidance sets baseline expectations for Reconciliation Action Plans in B.C.

xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, June 19, 2026 — As companies across British Columbia adopt Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs), a new paper from the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), developed in collaboration with the Reconciliation and Responsible Investment Institute (RRII) and West Coast Environmental Law (WCEL) sets the baseline expectations for companies to credibly call a plan a “RAP”.