Latest News

Coalition on MMIWG2S+ Remembers Lillian Howard for her Legacy of Advocacy and Vision of Justice

Our hearts are heavy with the passing of Lillian Howard, who was an active and long-time member of the Coalition and fierce advocate for Indigenous women and peoples. The members of the Coalition share our heart-felt condolences with Lillian’s family, friends, relatives, and all whose lives were touched by her light and presence.

November 23, 2021

OPEN LETTER: Call for the Immediate Withdrawal of Bill 22, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act, 2021

Dear Premier Horgan and Minister Beare,

On October 18, 2021, your government introduced amendments to British Columbia’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) through Bill 22. We have learned that Bill 22 is quickly proceeding through the legislature and is anticipated to receive Royal Assent before the end of the current legislative session on November 25^th. However, the bill in its current form fails to uphold First Nations’ unique rights of access to information as many of the proposed amendments will create new barriers for First Nations requiring access to provincial government records to substantiate their historical grievances against the Crown. Further, several proposed amendments disregard significant concerns we identified in formal submissions to the public engagement process, and introduce measures about which we were never informed, contravening Article 19 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration), and your government’s legal obligations under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).

News Release  
November 19, 2021 

First Nations in BC Experiencing Compounded Emergencies; BC and Canada Must Provide Full Supports  

(Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) As BC continues to reel from the ongoing devastation caused by the recent "atmospheric river event", which saw extreme rain, winds, landslides, and floods wreak catastrophe upon communities and infrastructure, the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) remains deeply alarmed and concerned about both short-term and long-term cumulative effects of the crisis upon the safety and welfare of First Nation communities.  

News Release

November 18, 2021

BC Pours Resources into RCMP Raid on Wet’suwet’en Territory during Provincial Climate Emergency

(Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – November 18, 2021) In blind defense of fossil fuel expansion, the RCMP began a publicly funded siege on peaceful land defenders in unceded Wet’suwet’en territory this morning, while BC is in the middle of a state of emergency due to a climate crisis that the entire world is watching. At least 15 supporters have already been arrested; dozens of RCMP have been reported breaching Gidimt’en checkpoint.

 After disappointing Climate Summit, B.C. government should stop obstructing Indigenous-led climate solutions

The Nuchatlaht Nation’s land claim is one of the few rays of hope to come out from COP26

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 18, 2021  

Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səlilwətaɬ (VANCOUVER, BC) and Glasgow — After a disappointing conclusion to COP26 in Glasgow that will make it harder to achieve the 1.5°C goal established in the Paris Agreements, representatives from the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Sierra Club BC and the Nuchatlaht Nation that attended the climate summit in the U.K. are calling on the B.C. government to step aside and stop opposing Indigenous-led climate solutions.

Statement
November 17, 2021

UBCIC Supports Call for Peaceful Evacuation of Coastal GasLink from Wet’suwet’en Territory

(Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – November 17, 2021) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) continues to support efforts of members of the Gidimt’en clan to peacefully assert and safeguard their inherent Title and Rights, and to uphold their sovereignty and jurisdiction over unceded Wet’suwet’en territory in stopping Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) expansion. On November 14, 2021, members of the Gidimt’en clan enforced the eviction of Coastal Gaslink (CGL) workers from their lands and gave them eight hours to peacefully evacuate before the main road into the Lhudis Bin territory of the Gidimt’en clan was closed. These Gidimt’en members are upholding ancient Wet’suwet’en trespass laws and an eviction notice served by the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs to CGL in 2020.

News Release
November 16, 2021

UBCIC Remembers Lee Maracle, Beloved Indigenous Activist and Acclaimed Writer and Poet

(Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – November 16, 2021) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) mourns the loss of the beloved and incomparable Lee Maracle. A celebrated and acclaimed writer, poet, teacher, and activist, Lee Maracle revolutionized Indigenous feminist literature in Canada and gave a poignant, unflinching voice to the stories of Indigenous women and their experiences with the destructive forces of discrimination and racism.

Press Release
November 16, 2021

FNLC Calls for a State of Emergency due to Unprecedented Climate Weather Events in BC

(Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) In the wake of the extreme weather events that continue to devastate First Nations across BC, the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) calls on the Provincial government to declare an indefinite State of Emergency in BC, effective immediately.