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RE: Allegations that RCMP in Prince George Abused Indigenous Women and Girls

Dear Premier Eby, Minister Farnworth, Minister Mendicino, and Minister Lametti,

The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) and BC First Nations Justice Council (BCFNJC) are appalled and deeply disturbed that there are serious allegations of egregious and violent sexual abuse of Indigenous girls against RCMP officers in Prince George, BC, and that when these allegations were originally made in 2011 they were not investigated, but instead were covered up by authorities. This situation demonstrates failures on countless levels and complete negligence by the RCMP. As families of MMIWG2S+ and survivors marked the February 14th Downtown Eastside Women’s Memorial March and gathered for the Assembly of First Nations National Gathering on MMIWG2S+ in BC last week, it remains clear that the Crown’s lack of response and prioritization of issues of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people continues to cost lives and leave countless others forever impacted.

Statement
February 21, 2023

 UBCIC Stands with c̓išaaʔatḥ (Tseshaht First Nation) amidst Ceremony Marking Phase I Results of ʔuuʔatumin yaqckʷiimitqin (Doing It for Our Ancestors) Project into the Former Alberni Indian Residential School

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – February 21, 2023). The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) raise our hands to c̓išaaʔatḥ (Tseshaht First Nation) and commend the Nation’s powerful event at the Maht Mahs Centre, rooted firmly in culture, ceremony, and survivor stories. The phase I results of the ʔuuʔatumin yaqckʷiimitqin (Doing It for Our Ancestors) project into the former Alberni Indian Residential School (AIRS) have confirmed horrific survivor-accounts of violence and abuse, including the verified deaths of 67 students, plus 17 geophysical features representing suspected graves from ground investigations.

February 15, 2023

Open Letter: Calling on Canada to Withdraw New, Egregious Informal Access to Information Requirements that Compromise First Nations’ Access to Justice

Dear Ministers Miller and Lametti,

The National Claims Research Directors (NCRD) writes to you urgently regarding new measures being imposed on First Nations claims researchers applying for informal access to records held by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs (CIRNAC) and Indigenous Services (ISC). It has come to our attention that CIRNAC and ISC’s Privacy Policy Unit has recently introduced new, egregiously inappropriate requirements for gaining informal access to departmentally held records and that these requirements may adversely affect First Nations and compromise their access to justice for the redress of their historical claims.

News Release
February 13, 2023

UBCIC Remembers Billy Two Rivers

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – February 13, 2023) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) would like to acknowledge the passing of Kahnawà:ke Elder Billy Two Rivers, 87, and extend our most sincere condolences to his family, friends, and community.

News Release 
February 8, 2023

FNLC Congratulates 15 First Nations, Governments of BC and Canada on Announcement of Joint Accomplishments Toward Protecting BC’s North Coast

Lheidli T’enneh Territory, Prince George, BC – On February 5, 2023, at the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5), 15 First Nations jointly announced two commendable initiatives alongside the provincial and federal governments regarding the protection of the northern third of Canada’s West Coast.

News Release
February 2, 2023

FNLC Supports Manslaughter Charges Against RCMP Officers in Death of Dale Culver

(Xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) supports BC Prosecution Services’ manslaughter charges against two Prince George RCMP officers, Cst. Paul Ste-Marie and Cst. Jean Francois Monette, who were involved in the death of Dale Culver, a First Nations man from northern British Columbia. The FNLC stands with Dale Culver’s family and the Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en communities who have been struggling for justice and answers for his violent death.

Press Release
January 31, 2023

UBCIC Calls for Holistic, System-Wide Supports from Canada and BC as Decriminalization Begins

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – January 31, 2023) In response to the unprecedented, escalating overdose and drug toxicity crisis, British Columbia, with the approval of the federal government, has decriminalized small quantities of drugs for personal possession. By resolution, UBCIC recognizes that decriminalization is one of many necessary steps to address the overdose crisis, reduce drug-related harms and end the overrepresentation of First Nations people in the criminal justice system, and calls upon the governments of BC and Canada to take further action.

Statement
January 25, 2023

UBCIC Stands with Williams Lake First Nation and all Residential School Survivors amidst Results of Phase II Geophysical Investigation into St. Joseph Mission Residential School

(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – January 25, 2023) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) shares heartfelt prayers for comfort and healing with all those impacted by the Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) announcement detailing the results of their Phase II Geophysical Investigation into the former St. Joseph Mission Residential School, detailing 66 new reflections which display characteristics indicative of potential human burials. Phase I of the WLFN Geophysical Investigation announced 93 reflections this time last year in January 2022.