Latest News

May 19, 2021

BC Government must ban fur farming in wake of third COVID-19 outbreak on BC mink farm

First Nations, animal protection groups, epidemiologists call on BC Government to Act with urgency

VANCOUVER--In the wake of a 3^rd outbreak of COVID-19 on a factory mink fur farm in British Columbia, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), concerned infectious disease specialists, the BC SPCA, the Fur-Bearers, and Humane Society International/Canada are calling on the BC Government to act now to end fur farming.

News Release
May 19, 2021

FNLC Rejects MNBC’s claim of Aboriginal Rights in British Columbia

(Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) rejects the Métis Nation of British Columbia’s (MNBC) claim of Aboriginal Rights throughout BC, including harvesting rights, and the claim they are an Indigenous governing body in the province with equal access to resources. First Nations Chiefs rejected the Métis assertion of rights outlined in the Métis Nation British Columbia Report: A Tale of Two Nations: Highlighting the Inequities of the Treatment of the Métis in BC, through Chiefs’ resolutions at the BC Assembly of First Nations, First Nations Summit and Union of BC Indian Chiefs assemblies.

Statement
May 17, 2021

UBCIC Observes International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

((Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil- Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) May 17, 2021. Today the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) observes the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia and honours those past and present who have fought to secure universal respect for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersexual, Asexual and Two-Spirited (LGBTQIA2S+) rights and end discrimination based on gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. UBCIC stands in solidarity with Indigenous and non-Indigenous LGBTQIA2S+ communities whose immense bravery and resilience continues to inspire Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island in their fight for equality.

News Release
May 11, 2021

RCMP Shoot Tla-o-qui-aht Woman on Mother’s Day Weekend: Indigenous Leadership Furious with Ongoing Police Brutality

(Tla-o-qui-aht Territory and Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) On May 8th, a Tla-o-qui-aht mother of two was shot by the RCMP after they responded to a call for help. The Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation and the First Nations Leadership Council are calling for an immediate, transparent and transformative response which includes the Tla-o-qui-aht community at every step of the way.

Statement
May 10, 2021

UBCIC Supports UN Committee’s Call on Canada to Protect Mi’kmaq Fishers and Investigate Claims of Racist Violence

((Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – May 10, 2021) After reviewing the information submitted to them by Sipekne’katik fishers under their Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedure, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has officially called on Canada to investigate the acts of violence, hate, and discrimination that were perpetrated against Mi’kmaq fisher men and women last fall.

News Release
May 7, 2021

Vancouver Police Endanger Indigenous Women and Child on MMIWG Day of Awareness

((Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – May 7, 2021) The Coalition on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (“the Coalition”) is appalled that on May 5th, the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), Vancouver Police willfully and negligently endangered the lives of several Indigenous women, including a mother and her young child.

News Release
May 5, 2021

Unbroken and Unsilenced: UBCIC Demands Overdue Justice on National Day of Awareness for MMIWG

((Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – May 5, 2021) Year after year, loss after loss, Indigenous women and girls have had to face a persisting, haunting reality: in the face of government inaction and delays, they continue to be casualties in an ongoing humanitarian crisis that is fueled by violence, discrimination, and apathy. The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) marks this National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls with renewed calls to action to ensure that the painful reality Indigenous women and girls face can be replaced with one that fosters justice and healing.

News Release
May 3, 2021

FNLC Remembers Thomas Berger and Honours his Legacy as a Prominent Indigenous Title and Rights Advocate

(Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) The First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) remembers and honours prominent civil and Indigenous rights advocate Thomas Berger. The former B.C. Supreme Court judge, politician, and lawyer devoted his life’s work to addressing injustice. Berger’s landmark achievements transformed Canadian law and Aboriginal rights and title, paving the way for several legal victories for First Nations within and beyond his lifetime.