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Ministry of Education
Ministry of Children and Family Development
Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training
First Nations Education Steering Committee
First Nations Leadership Council

June 4, 2020

Improving outcomes for First Nations children in care

VICTORIA - Indigenous children and youth in government care and former youth in care are entitled to consistent and reliable support at school, home and in their communities, to ensure they get the most out of their school years and are set up for success in life.

The First Nations Children and Youth in Care Protocol, signed May 26, 2020, commits the Province and First Nations to work together to engage in dialogue and joint action on specific issues and initiatives, seeking to improve the educational outcomes and well-being of Indigenous children and youth in care, and former youth in care through legislative, policy and practice reform.

News Release
June 4, 2020

Black Lives Matter: UBCIC Stands in Solidarity Against Racialized Police Brutality and Inaction

((Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ/sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – June 4, 2020) UBCIC is calling for broad action to dismantle systems of white supremacy upheld by policing institutions. The killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minnesota has once more laid bare the rampant racism in so-called North America, made up of countries built upon a colonial history of Black enslavement and the genocide of Indigenous peoples. The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) recognizes the shared colonial legacy of oppression that generations of Indigenous and Black people in Canada and the United States experience today as institutionalized racism, police brutality, state violence and inaction.

Press Statement
June 3, 2020

Canada Fails to Prioritize MMIWG: 1^st Anniversary of the National Inquiry’s Final Report Demonstrates No Progress

((Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ/sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – June 3, 2020) A year ago today, Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals looked forward with hopeful eyes as the Final Report of the National Inquiry in Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) was released alongside the Calls for Justice. The 231 imperative Calls for Justice are supposed to provide the framework for a National Action Plan to dismantle Canada’s colonial structures and systems of power that are responsible for staggering rates of violence, death, and suicide amongst Indigenous women and girls. Today marks the day the National Action Plan was to be released. However, rather than a pathway forward to transformative change, Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island were met with inaction, disregard, and the announcement from Canada that the plan will be delayed.

Hunting Rights, COVID-19, and the Path Forward - Webinar

News Release
May 27, 2020

UBCIC Responds to Alberta Energy Minister’s Cavalier Commentary Regarding Ease of Building TMX During Pandemic

((Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ/sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – May 27, 2020) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) responded to Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage’s recent comments on the ease of building the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion project (TMX) during a pandemic because of limits on gatherings of more than 15 people in Alberta. The minister spoke on a podcast Friday, attributing the sluggish construction schedule to protest that was more effective than industry. 

OPEN LETTER: Call for Moratorium on Fracking Near Peace River Dams

Dear Minister Ralston, Minister Heyman, and Minister Donaldson:

We are writing with respect to the negligence and operation of oversights carried forth by BC Hydro in regard to their Peace River Dams, and we demand immediate action to address the fracking activities that pose unacceptable risks to these dams and the surrounding region.

Press Statement

May 5, 2020

Honouring National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls During COVID Pandemic

((Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaʔɬ/sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – May 5, 2020) Today marks the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and, under normal circumstances, people across Canada would be preparing marches, demonstrations, and memorials for the lives lost to an ongoing crisis of systemic violence.

News Release
May 17, 2020

COVID-19 is no excuse for hate:
UBCIC demands stronger stand against racism

(xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱ wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ ilwətaʔɬ/sel̓ ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, BC). – May 17, 2020) On the evening of May 15, Dakota Holmes, an Indigenous woman and an employee of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), was subjected to a racist attack while walking her dog. A white male physically and verbally attacked her, punching her in the face and yelling racist slurs about Asian people and COVID-19. The incident was prompted by a sneeze from Holmes, who experiences seasonal allergies.