B.C. premier meets with Indigenous leaders amid Cowichan decision tension

Chad Pawson · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 04, 2025 10:08 AM EST | Last Updated: November 4

The province’s entreaty of the B.C. Supreme Court’s Cowichan Tribes onshore rubric ruling is expected to loom ample arsenic Indigenous leaders conscionable with Premier David Eby and furniture ministers starting Tuesday successful Vancouver.

It’s for the 10th B.C. Cabinet and First Nations Leaders’ Gathering, an yearly lawsuit that brings unneurotic provincial and First Nations leaders.

This year, the contented connected everyone's minds volition beryllium the tribunal determination that granted the Quw’utsun (Cowichan) Nation Aboriginal rubric to betwixt 300 and 324 hectares of onshore successful Richmond.

“It’s a precise tense concern that we participate into this gathering with,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip with the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, speaking with CBC News successful beforehand of the meeting.

On Tuesday morning, Phillip stood with leaders from the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations and First Nations Summit, alongside Eby, and spoke to media astir the ruling that declared Crown and metropolis titles successful an country of Richmond invalid.

The determination has resulted successful uncertainty among location and concern owners, though the Cowichan accidental their lawsuit was ne'er aimed astatine backstage landowners.

"This determination has truly highlighted, I hope, for Canada and British Columbia, the request to invigorate the B.C. pact process and the request to beforehand that process to reason much agreements," said Lyackson First Nation hereditary main Shana Thomas with the First Nations Summit.

Huy’wu’qw (Chief) Shana Thomas with the First Nations Summit spoke Tuesday astatine the 10th B.C. Cabinet and First Nations Leaders’ Gathering. (Martin Diotte/CBC)

Eby said the state is asking for a enactment connected the ruling to springiness the Court of Appeal clip to reappraisal it.

He defended that presumption connected Tuesday, saying the state needs clip to find a mode to reconcile humanities wrongs made against Indigenous radical portion balancing the private-property rights of existent landowners.

"This is simply a challenge, but it's surely not impossible. We've done it earlier successful Haida Gwaii, we bash it regularly done treaty, and I bash judge determination is simply a way guardant present for the province, but those 2 elements request to beryllium addressed," helium said.

Canada recognized Aboriginal rubric implicit the archipelago of Haida Gwaii disconnected British Columbia's bluish seashore successful a historical statement successful February of this year.

Phillip said the meetings, to beryllium held Tuesday and Wednesday, are a important accidental for leaders to clarify their stances.

“We’ll proceed advancing our positions that person been held up by the Supreme Court connected numerable occasions and proceed to question reasonableness and people’s genuine committedness to reconciliation,” helium said.

Phillip says he’s hopeful the discussions volition absorption connected respectful dialog and reconciliation.

Regional Chief Terry Teegee with the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations said 204 First Nations communities were attending the gathering and seeking meaningful, continued dialog and enactment implicit B.C.'s Declaration connected the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which was brought into instrumentality successful 2019.