VICTORIA, B.C.: Recent media reports and government disclosures reveal that up to 24 million acres of B.C. Crown land and more than $1 trillion in mineral wealth could be up for grabs, stripping elected representatives of decision-making power and undermining democracy.
Today’s Public Accounts, released by NDP Finance Minister Brenda Bailey, list 334,643 acres as provincial Crown land obligations under treaty agreements. The sweeping commitments include 113,147 acres to Kitsumkalum, 87,203 acres to Kitselas, 34,461 acres to Wuikinuxv and 23,411 acres to In-Shuck-ch.
Media reports have also revealed that the NDP plans to hand over up to 96,000 square kilometres (23.7 million acres, larger than the country of Portugal) of northwest B.C.—and $1.28 trillion in mineral wealth—to the Tahltan Nation based on unproven land claims. Why wasn’t this massive transfer included in today’s Public Accounts list? Furthermore, we learned that this government is also transferring 30 Crown land parcels to the Te’mexw Treaty Association, including prime Victoria waterfront property and Hatley Castle, Sooke Mountain, and Discovery Island provincial parks.
“The NDP is bypassing the public and eroding democratic oversight to hand over B.C.’s land,” said Steve Kooner, Shadow Minister for Attorney General. “This is a massive amount of land based on unsettled territorial claims with virtually no public consultation. The NDP accepted the Tahltan’s territorial claims without any pushback, even though they were not legally settled. And the Te’mexw Treaty Association is under no legal obligation to continue to allow public access to their newly acquired parks. We are again demanding the Legislature be recalled immediately to repeal DRIPA.”
“The lack of public consultation and oversight on the land file is shocking,” said Scott McInnis, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Relations. “British Columbians should not have to learn from the media or a back page of the Public Accounts to be alerted to these undemocratic land transfers. The Aboriginal Title Transparency Act I introduced last spring would prevent British Columbians from remaining in the dark about these decisions, and I encourage the government to act in the public interest and pass this legislation come fall.”
Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia urged for an immediate halt to land transfers.
“Handing over public assets at this vast scale in secret deals is a direct betrayal of our democracy that treats British Columbians, who own this province, as non-existent,” said Findlay. “And what is worse, this is only the beginning. There are still over 150 Indigenous bands in B.C. still to be dealt with. There will be nothing left of B.C. by the time they are finished. The NDP must immediately halt all land transfers, recall the Legislature to repeal DRIPA, repeal these unfounded agreements, and start the process over this time with full transparency instead of these backroom handovers.”
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