AFN chief asks UN to oppose B.C. move to amend Indigenous rights law

The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations called on the United Nations on Tuesday to support First Nations leaders opposing proposed changes to British Columbia’s Indigenous rights law.

Speaking at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said the province’s plan to amend or suspend parts of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act violates international standards. According to her remarks to the forum, First Nations rights are protected under international human rights law and “cannot be suspended, amended or paused by any government.”

The B.C. government has raised concerns about the law after a December court ruling cited the legislation in a decision against the province. Premier David Eby has said the ruling exposed the province to legal risk. After shifting positions in recent weeks, Eby said Monday the province will work with First Nations to find a path forward rather than act unilaterally.

The law aligns provincial legislation with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and is considered a key framework for consultation and consent on resource and development decisions in B.C. Woodhouse Nepinak asked the UN to condemn what she described as “regressive decisions” by the province.