BC Premier Eby Plans DRIPA Suspension for 3 Years

In Victoria, British Columbia Premier David Eby announced plans this week to suspend key sections of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act for up to three years, aiming to address what his government describes as significant legal risks stemming from a recent court ruling. The move, set to be introduced as legislation next week, has drawn sharp criticism from First Nations leaders who argue it undermines reconciliation efforts and could invite further litigation.

The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, known as DRIPA, was passed unanimously by the B.C. legislature in 2019 to align provincial laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Eby, whose New Democratic Party holds a slim one-seat majority, stated during a press conference in Kelowna that the suspension is necessary to mitigate immediate legal effects interpreted in the Gitxaala Nation ruling by the B.C. Court of Appeal last December. That decision held that DRIPA requires the UN declaration to be incorporated into all provincial laws with binding force right away, a interpretation the government contests.

Eby emphasized that his caucus remains united on...