The BC Conservatives have called on Premier David Eby to recall the legislature and repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act following the British Columbia Court of Appeals' ruling that judges can use DRIPA as an "interpretive lens" to evaluate all existing laws.When the act was passed in 2019, the BC NDP repeatedly assured critics that it would have no such powers — at least not for a couple decades..During a press conference at the legislature on Monday, BC Conservative Interim Leader Trevor Halford and MLA Áʼa:líya Warbus demanded Eby bring elected officials back to Victoria so they could hash things out.He said they would forgo all question periods, statements, and private members bills to ensure all time was spent focusing on DRIPA.Warbus echoed his sentiments, arguing that DRIPA should be amended to ensure it remains a guiding document, not a magic wand to create new laws..In a post on X, she expanded on her stance.."The Court has made it clear: BC Laws must adhere to UNDRIP, and DRIPA now has immediate enforcement application," she lamented. "This race to retrofit British Columbia's long standing democratic authority imposes waves of sweeping uncertainty, by this NDP Government's hushed and rushed ideological agenda."She went on to note that while the BC NDP claim DRIPA can't be repealed so quickly, they "rammed Bills 7, 14, and 15 through the House at record speed when it suited their interests.""Economic reconciliation deserves integrity, certainty, honesty, and real partnership, not the overreach the NDP forced onto British Columbia," Warbus concluded. "With no direct leadership frameworks that everyone has agreed to, we continue to see a complete fumble and fold from this Government."Even Eby agreed that the ruling went too far."To be frank, it is absolutely crucial that it is British Columbians, through their elected representatives, that remain in control of this process, not the courts," he said. "Too much rides on it in terms of our province's prosperity and certainty going forward.".The Court of Appeals' ruling overturned a decision handed down by the BC Supreme Court in 2023 which found DRIPA was not legally enforceable. The original case was brought against BC's online mineral claim-staking system by the Gitxaala Nation and Ehattesaht First Nation, who argued that it wasn't inclusive for indigenous people.While the case resulted in a new claim system, judges ruled that it could not be legally in contravention of the goals of DRIPA.
