EXCLUSIVE: MLA sounds alarm over gov't plan for future of ceded 'ancestral territory' in northern BC

Independent MLA Jordan Kealy has sounded the alarm over a plan to decide the future of nearly three million hectares of ceded 'ancestral territory' in northern British Columbia.If approved, the plan would turn a large portion of Crown land into parks and indigenous protected and conserved areas.. According to the BC government, the project is currently in its development phase. British Columbians have until August 8 to share their opinions, after which point it will move to the approval phase.In an interview with the Western Standard, Kealy argued that the government had not done nearly enough to properly engage with the public given the size and scope of the project."They definitely do a lot of things behind the scenes without letting the public or local government know," he lamented. "A lot of these topics are brought up between First Nations and the provincial government through consensus folders."The land in question falls into Treat 8 territory, which was ceded in 1899 following an agreement between the Crown and numerous First Nations in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories, including the Kaska First Nations.A website set up to provide information about the project states that one of the aims is to "build a foundation for cooperative governance between the Kaska First Nations and the Province and sustainable land management for the benefit of all British Columbians."."I think when it comes to stewardship and actually understanding how rural British Columbia works, we've got a current government that barely understands how Stanley Park works," Kealy said. "I'm primarily farmer, and a steward of my own land — the current government doesn't know how to take care of their land and resource base."Kealy went on to stress that forestry management was crucial to the success of the area, both for humans, and wildlife. He explained that having a proper forestry management system in place will not only make the land more resistant to wildfires, but provide well-paying harvesting jobs for British Columbians as well.In northern BC, around four million hectares have been charred by wildfires over the past three years."If it gets turned into a park and we're not properly utilizing our forest free management, it's just going to burn," Kealy warned. "I've seen several First Nations just evacuated from their reserves because of these fires and they've lost buildings because of it. What makes them think that they'll be able to do any better of a job when they rely on BC Wildfire, which is a provincial service?"He made a point of noting that forestry management "can be done in in an environmentally-sensitive way," adding, "we can still consult with First Nations, but that doesn't mean that we need their consent.".The goals of the project are aligned with the values outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Kealy cautioned against following guidelines developed elsewhere."They have no understanding of our country, how big and vast it is, and how we rely heavily on our resources," he said of the UN. "My recommendation is that we need to look at renewing or establishing the treaties within our own country, without looking at international standards. There's a treaty in place that shows exactly what rights there are to this."Kealy called on the government to "take a stand on doing what's best for British Columbians, not what's best for First Nations.""I will acknowledge the fact that the government really has abused some of their commitments to First Nations," he added, "and it's created this scenario where they say that we have to reconcile and go through reconciliation when it wasn't actually the people that did anything wrong."Kealy reiterated that "it was the government that held the responsibility to adhere to the treaties, yet somehow, they turn around and if an immigrant comes to our country, they tell that immigrant, well, you need to reconcile with the First Nations."He warned that if the government continues to give special privileges to certain ethnic groups, it will only "create major divisions, and ... more racism in the future.".Popular BC park to ban non-indigenous visitors twice more in 2025.The government has faces backlash over its decision to allow First Nations to ban non-indigenous visitors to Joffre Lakes Park, one of the most popular in the province. The Líl̓wat and N’Quatqua Nations scheduled "Reconnection Periods" for April 25 to May 16, June 13 to 27, and August 22 to October 23."The Joffre Lakes closure was done on the basis of the park being in the Nation's traditional territory, where Title has been asserted, but not established in the courts," former BC United candidate Caroline Elliott explained.She called the move "divisive," and warned that it "sets a terrible precedent," opening the doors for attempts to close other public lands.