News Release
March 1, 2022

UBCIC Stands in Solidarity with Ukraine and all Ukrainian People

(Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – March 1, 2022) The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) is proud and deeply honoured to stand in complete solidarity with Ukraine and all Ukrainian peoples in the face of the brutal warfare that Russia is waging.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, UBCIC President, stated “As Indigenous peoples, we fully understand what it is like to have our peoples attacked and our lands and resources stolen at gunpoint. We strongly condemn Russia’s completely unprovoked, illegal and brutal invasion of Ukraine. The UBCIC calls on President Vladimir Putin to immediately withdraw all Russian military forces from Ukrainian soil and go back to Moscow to face full punishment for their brutal war crimes and political accountability to the outraged Russian citizenry. Further, President Putin must immediately release Alexei Navalny, leader of the opposition party Russia of the Future, who is currently incarcerated and undergoing trial on fabricated corruption charges. He represents a real threat to Putin’s dictatorship, and so we are gravely concerned for Mr. Navalny’s life right now.”

Kukpi7 Judy Wilson, UBCIC Secretary-Treasurer noted, “Amidst the fragility of life and nuclear threats from President Putin, we find it reprehensible that some politicians here in Canada are leveraging the Russian war on Ukraine as an opportunity to champion the development of domestic fossil fuel projects including the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion (TMX) and Keystone XL, projects which do not have the support of all Indigenous peoples on their route and which threaten violence during their construction and violence toward the earth. Instead, the current aggression from Russia should reinforce the need for sustainable, truly clean energy development, as locally as possible.” Kukpi7 Wilson continued, “The UBCIC demands that Canada ensures all of its trade partners uphold the human rights of their citizens- we simply cannot do business with countries who continue to violate human rights and destroy the environment. We also call on neighboring countries to the Ukraine including Romania and Poland to not only provide safe passage to asylum seekers but ongoing support.”

“All eyes are on Ukraine and Russia, and we are urging Prime Minister Trudeau to step up Canada’s support to Ukraine and strong opposition to Russia’s ongoing invasion,” concluded Chief Don Tom, UBCIC Vice-President. “Our hearts and prayers are with the Ukrainian people and also with the Russians who are being forced into this war at the direction of their President. We are aware that racism and xenophobia remain entrenched problems in the Ukraine towards Jews, Russians and Romani. We call for the human rights of all involved to be upheld and for a streamlined process to be created to easily document human rights violations for further action.”

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Media inquiries:

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President, 250-490-5314
Chief Don Tom, Vice-President, 250-813-3315
Kukpi7 Judy Wilson, Secretary-Treasurer, c/o 778-866-0548

UBCIC is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

For more information please visit www.ubcic.bc.ca

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