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Dear Minister Rustad, Minister Anton, and Minister Morris:

We are writing with respect to the event you are holding on Tuesday May 10th at 12:15pm to “remember the lives of BC’s missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and unveil a lasting legacy” at the Parliament Buildings of BC in Victoria. We understand that a quilt will be made public which was created at the BC Family Gathering in Prince George, Lheidhli T’enneh Territory, in January 2016. At that event, family members were invited to create a piece of the quilt to honour their loved one, and these pieces were then stitched together.

(Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, B.C. – May 6, 2016)  The Union of BC Indian Chiefs is condemning the ongoing ‘corporate thuggery’ of BC Hydro, which recently filed a notice of civil claim and an application for an injunction in BC Supreme Court to stop people from camping overnight at its Vancouver office.

In many ways, Canada waged war against Indigenous peoples through Law, and many of today’s laws reflect that intent. ... The full adoption and implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples will not undo the War of Law, but it will begin to address that war’s legacies.

Senator Murray Sinclair, Truth and Reconciliation Chair, April 2016

(Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver) Senior First Nations leadership in BC are thanking Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, BC’s Representative for Children and Youth, for her recent special report detailing serious concerns about the unbalanced review carried out by Mr. Bob Plecas for the Province of BC.  

OTTAWA – A delegation of senior First Nations leaders from northwest British Columbia warned the Trudeau government Tuesday that claims of widespread First Nations support for Petronas’ Pacific Northwest LNG project are false.

They called upon the federal government to reject the project.

Vancouver, B.C. [April 15]—The Supreme Court of Canada has struck down yet another mandatory minimum sentencing provision introduced by the former Conservative government.

We are writing with respect to your correspondence from March 18, 2016 regarding “Information about the Proposed Amendments to National Energy Board Regulations for Pipeline Damage Prevention, Now Available for a 30-Day Comment Period”. On behalf of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) we are submitting this letter to clarify some potential concerns for First Nations in terms of regulations developed under the Pipeline Safety Act (“the Act”). In providing these comments, we are not in any way providing our approval of the Pipeline Safety Act or its regulations.

March 31, 2016

Dear Minister Bennett:

On February 13, 2016, you met with the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (“UBCIC”) Executive in Vancouver to initiate a working relationship and review our organization’s priorities with a view to future discussions. At that meeting you made an explicit commitment to restore funding for specific claims research and development to Claims Research Units (“CRUs”) and First Nations across Canada. In 2014, drastic funding cuts ranging from 30-60% were meted out to these organizations as part of the Harper government’s Deficit Reduction Action Plan. We stressed to you the urgency of restoring funding, and the timeliness required as INAC’s responses to annual research funding proposals submitted by CRUs and First Nations in January 2016 were expected at the end of March.