OTTAWA — British Columbia’s incoming Conservative government is preparing to repeal a controversial Indigenous land reconciliation law, setting the stage for a confrontation with First Nations leaders and raising questions about federal government alignment that could bring relations with China, and potentially deeper intelligence reporting obtained exclusively by The Bureau, into play.
The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, known as DRIPA, was unanimously adopted by the B.C. legislature in 2019. Intended to align provincial laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, it has since become a focal point in disputes over property rights, resource development, provincial authority and Indigenous sovereignty.
Premier-elect Lorne Doerkson has pledged to repeal the legislation, arguing that it has created uncertainty for governments, businesses and property owners. Indigenous leaders counter that repeal could drive more disputes over land and resources into the courts.
The immediate conflict is unfolding against a larger geopolitical backdrop that Canadian intelligence identified 15 years ago and that remains strikingly relevant as Ottawa attempts to rebuild its economic relationship with Beijing.
China has long recognized that Indigenous governments exercise consequential authority over Canadian territory and natural resources. And according to a previously classified intelligence review obtained exclusively by The Bureau, Chinese officials have sought to exploit that authority through deceptive diplomatic outreach.