Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

BC Conservatives call out NDP government secrecy on DRIPA amendments

The BC Conservative Caucus is calling on the NDP government to come clean with British Columbians about their proposed amendments to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) and to immediately end the secretive process that is sowing doubt, creating confusion, and undermining public confidence in reconciliation.

For weeks, the NDP government has insisted it is committed to transparency and partnership. But its actions tell a different story.

According to public reporting, the government has circulated proposed DRIPA changes behind closed doors, shielded key documents from public scrutiny, and required non-disclosure agreements before some First Nations leaders could even review the details. At the same time, the broader public has been kept in the dark about what exactly the government wants to change, why it wants those changes, and what the legal and economic consequences could be.

That is not how a serious government builds trust. And it is not how a government brings people along on an issue as important as reconciliation.

“Reconciliation cannot be advanced through secrecy, confusion, and closed-door politics,” said Scott McInnis, Critic for Indigenous Relations. “If the NDP believes these amendments are necessary, they should have the courage to publish them, explain them, and defend them in public. Instead, British Columbians are seeing an NDP government hide behind cabinet confidence, rely on non-disclosure agreements, and leave both First Nations and the public guessing.”

The government’s own approach is making a bad situation worse. British Columbians are being asked to trust a process they cannot see, involving amendments they cannot read, on a file the government says is central to reconciliation. That is a recipe for mistrust.

If the NDP wants public confidence, it must stop treating reconciliation as something to be managed in secret by insiders. Reconciliation requires openness, clarity, honesty, and public legitimacy. British Columbians need to know where the government is taking the province and why.

Instead, this government is fueling uncertainty on all sides. First Nations leaders have raised alarm about compressed timelines and gag orders. British Columbians are left wondering what is changing and what it will mean for the future of law-making, court decisions, resource development, and the government’s overall reconciliation agenda.

The BC Conservative Caucus is calling on the government to:

  • Immediately release the details of their DRIPA amendments for public review.

  • End the use of non-disclosure agreements that prevent First Nations leaders and the public from discussing changes to their own rights.

  • Provide a full briefing to the Official Opposition and all members of the Legislature before any amendments are tabled.

  • Commit to a full and transparent public consultation process.


“This government is failing the basic test of leadership,” said McInnis. “You do not build confidence by hiding the ball. You do not strengthen reconciliation by shutting the public out. And you do not reduce polarization by creating an atmosphere of secrecy and confusion.” 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WARD STAMER -- Those are REAL forestry numbers, not just made-up numbers

The following is a condensed version of remarks Kamloops – North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer’s made, regarding Forestry, in the BC Legislature, on Tuesday afternoon (02/24/2026)   Let’s talk a little bit, when we talk about Budget 2026, about the forest industry, which is near and dear to my heart. Forestry remains one of British Columbia’s foundational industries. It’s a pillar that built this province. Entire communities depend upon it. Interior towns, northern communities, Vancouver Island regions, the Kootenays, the Lower Mainland, with manufacturing facilities in Surrey and Maple Ridge, just to name a few — everywhere in BC is touched by forestry. One word that was not mentioned in Budget 2026 was forestry. That’s a shame, an incredible shame. It wasn’t an oversight – it was intentional. This government has driven forestry into the ground .... INTO THE GROUND! We can talk a little bit about some of the initiatives that this government has brought forth, to try to resurrect ...
Post a Comment
Read more

FORSETH -- Focus on the nine things I mentioned. That’s what will allow the Conservative Party to win the next election

IMAGE CREDIT:   Darryl Dyck, the Canadian Press. I thought I had already made up my mind who I would be ranking on my ballot, in the Conservative Party of BC leadership race; now I am not so sure.  That means that, at least for me, and perhaps many others, it’s a good thing voting hasn’t already taken place. There were initially only one or two of the candidates that I thought might be a little too right of centre for my liking, now it seems that list is growing. I consider myself more closely aligned with what used to be called a Progressive Conservative, regardless, I feel more than comfortable within the Conservative Party of BC.  Some, however, in messages to me on my political Facebook page, have been rather, shall we say, a bit mean-spirited in comments they’ve made about my ‘purity’ as a conservative. To tell you the truth, I really don’t care! Some leadership candidates, in comments made online, have also been raising the issue of who is a pure enough conservati...
Post a Comment
Read more

CAROLINE ELLIOTT: We're being governed by a highly ideological government that is far removed from the values of everyday British Columbians

Last night I, along with 40 or so others, had the opportunity to hear from BC Conservative leadership candidate Caroline Elliott.  For those who have yet to hear her speak, this is what she had to say: Thank you everyone for being here. I know you have a million other things you could be doing with your evening and the fact that you're here, means that you understand the situation this province is in, and how crucial this moment actually is, because it truly is a crucial moment in our province’s history. Look, I'm doing this for a very simple reason. I'm a lifelong, born and raised British Columbia, and I have two small kids. They're six years old and eight years old, so they're pretty little still.  I look at them and I want them to reach the point that I'm at in my life and say, ‘ I'm a lifelong British Columbian and there's nowhere else I'd rather be .’, just as I do today. And my worry is that they will find themselves like one of the 70,000 Br...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more