Elections BC said it has approved in principle an initiative petition seeking the repeal of British Columbia’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
The petition was brought forward by Harman Bhangu, B.C. Conservative MLA for Langley-Abbotsford.
It includes a draft bill that states the repeal would come into force upon royal assent.
The 2019 legislation establishes the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation in B.C. and requires the government to take measures to ensure provincial laws are consistent with the UN declaration.
The B.C. Conservatives have called for DRIPA to be repealed, saying its application to issues of Aboriginal title and property rights has created uncertainty in the province.
Premier David Eby backed off a plan to makes changes to DRIPA in the spring due to opposition from First Nations leaders.
“DRIPA has been a disaster for B.C., and it needs to be repealed,” said Bhangu in a statement on Thursday. “For months, the NDP has treated it like a moving target: amend it, don’t amend it, suspend it, don’t suspend it. When the Legislature returns, David Eby will have three weeks to show British Columbians whether his government finally has a position it is willing to stand behind.”
B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay said she supports the petition.
“This petition is our chance to stand up to the madness of DRIPA and save this province,” said Findlay.
Elections BC said the petition would be issued Oct. 26. The proponent would need to collect signatures from 10 per cent of the registered voters in each of the province’s 93 electoral districts for the petition to succeed. The deadline to submit the signatures is Jan. 25, 2027.
If enough signatures are collected, the petition and draft bill would be referred to the Legislative Assembly for next steps, which could include recommending introduction of the draft bill or referring the petition and draft bill for a vote.
B.C.’s Recall and Initiative Act allows registered voters in B.C. to propose new laws or changes to existing laws.
Elections BC said that of the 14 initiative petitions approved since 1995, only one met the requirements to proceed to the legislative assembly. That was the 2010 HST Initiative Petition, which later led to voters choosing to scrap the HST in a province-wide referendum.
