OLSEN -- you are likely to hear confusing messages about “free, prior and informed consent” being a “veto” handed to Indigenous people; I hope to inoculate you from this virus
As we mark the 12th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), we hear from Premier John Horgan that government will be introducing legislation this fall that formalizes the transformation of relationships with Indigenous people in British Columbia. A lot of credit needs to go to Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Hon. Scott Fraser and his team, for keeping this process moving. This may sound like a big scary notion. The courts have ruled time and time again on Indigenous rights and yet governments have continued to ignore the court rulings and refused to change. This has created an environment of uncertainty, tension and conflict. No one is satisfied and a new path forward is necessary. Furthermore, the status quo approach is simply not good enough.