Monday April 20, 2026 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 5:31 pm | Updated 6:01 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
BC Premier David Eby and the First Nations Leadership Council today released a statement regarding the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People’s Act (DRIPA), in announcing that the government will not change or pause parts of the DRIPA Act.
Changes were to come forward in the BC Legislative Assembly today.
Official statement:
Here is the brief statement issued in a news release around 1:30 pm today:
“The Government of B.C. will not be introducing legislation to suspend or amend DRIPA or UN Declaration-related provisions in the Interpretation Act, in the spring legislative session.
“The Government and First Nations Leadership Council are committed to working together with all First Nations leaders on a path forward to discuss and consider the government’s stated legal concerns, while upholding the title and rights and human rights of First Nations.
“Together, we commit to genuine collaboration to find solutions as soon as possible, and before the fall legislative session.”
Developing tensions from inside and out:
The above statement comes after tensions within the BC NDP itself — including an ultimatum from just one Indigenous MLA Joan Phillip (Vancouver-Mount Pleasant) who recently refused to support proposed legislation, let alone attacks from the BC Conservatives and other sources of opposition.
MLA Joan Phillip is married to Grand Chief Stewart Phillip who is the long-serving President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), an organization dedicated to defending Indigenous Title and Rights. Stewart Phillip successfully lobbied to see today’s outcome.
In a media scrum at the BC Legislature today, Eby said this is most difficult issue that he has worked on in government.
Challenging work:
“This is challenging work. This is one of the hardest files I’ve ever worked on,” said Eby today.
He itemized having “other files that were hard and required multiple steps”, including the ICBC car insurance file several years ago when he was the Attorney General serving in John Horgan’s government. “But that was nothing compared to this,” said Eby about sorting out the ‘dumpster fire’ that was the ICBC financial disaster that happened when the BC Liberals (now BC Conservatives) were in government.
“It is absolutely possible as a leader to move off confidently in the wrong direction. I was prepared, government was prepared, to introduce legislation today that would have put a hold on the Declaration Act provisions so that we would have space to negotiate a more permanent outcome,” said Eby.
“I would have liked to be right the first time,” said Eby in self-reflection of how things have evolved.
Doing the work jointly:
“This agreement with the First Nations leadership council enables us to do the work to jointly develop a long term solution. It comes from a series of calls we were doing with Chiefs across the province to talk to them about the planned legislation,” said Eby today.
Attorney General’s work:
“The Attorney General was calling the leadership council Chiefs to have conversations with them. As part of her conservation she came to me and told me she believed there was a route to be able to reach an agreement like this. That was late last week. We had conversations over Saturday and on Sunday. We sat down virtually with the First Nations Leadership Council which resulted in today’s statement,” said Eby about his work with Attorney General Nike Sharma.
Eby thanked Sharma for ‘tapping me on the shoulder’ and creating space for this conversation to be able to happen.
“It’s not a problem that is going to be solved overnight, and it’s not easy and I can’t do it on my own,” said Eby, adding that he is grateful for the support of his team, citing “the Attorney General and others”.
Joint pathway:
“The First Nations Leadership Council moving forward together is my number one priority. Finding a way to resolve government’s concerns in partnership rather than in conflict — that is what is best for the province, and that is what is best for us going forward. I’m very pleased we have this agreement,” said Eby this afternoon.
This is both a combination of an historic legacy of government and a relationship with First Nations as well as doing work we’ve never done before, to try to provide stability and a path forward for prosperity for the whole province… work that has to be done, the courts are very clear about that,” said Eby, who “accepts the responsibility for taking us in different directions — trying to find that path to respond to these court decisions”.
“I did not believe that it would take what it has taken to be able to get to this point. But I believe this is the first step toward reaching that lasting solution. I’m more optimistic than I have been that we will be able to get there,” said Eby today.
“It is worth the time between now and the next legislative session to be able to do this work and to be able to find a resolution,” said Eby in front of media cameras.
Getting it right:
“As a leader I want to find the right solution for the province. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the support both in and outside of caucus who want to help us get this right because it is crucial that we do get it right — providing certainty for British Columbians, for industry, for providing a path forward for longstanding social issues and injustices in our province,” said Eby.
Eby is now about four years into leading the BC NDP (having officially taken over in November 2022 from the ailing former Premier Horgan). Political life builds baggage.
Eby seems quite aware that this should not be an issue to stand in the way of maintaining the NDP’s (slim) majority in the BC Legislative Assembly (currently 47 MLAs are NDP, 38 are BC Conservatives, 2 are BC Greens, and 6 are Independents). Not to mention more broadly the need to keep Indigenous leadership and voters on side as big national major projects includes their input.
And it’s a legacy issue from the former Premier Horgan who build a bond of trust with key Indigenous leaders as something of a sacred trust.
Aiming for Fall legislation:
“We’re going to find that pathway together, if we can. There is no guarantee that simply because we reached this agreement that come the Fall legislative session that we will have that agreement. But I’m certainly hopeful that we will,” said Eby today.
“This agreement to move forward together is a precondition to be able to get there,” said Premier Eby.
The current Spring 2026 parliamentary session is set to wrap up on May 28. MLAs circulate in their communities during summer break to connect with constituents on issues of the day.
Currently the Fall 2026 session is set to start October 5, a session that will start with a new Official Opposition leader (the BC Conservatives will choose their new leader on May 30).
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