Local MLA responds positively to provincial government’s Land Act announcement 

FORT ST. JOHN B.C. — On Thursday, Peace River North MLA Dan Davies responded positively to the B.C. government’s decision not to pursue amendments to the Land Act.   

Davies noted the hard work put in to rally against the act with petitions, raising awareness and putting “insurmountable” pressure on the government. 

“It has taken a ton of work by myself, my colleagues and the general public organizations to rally against what the NDP is doing,” said Davies. 

The MLA  thanked everybody who signed BC United’s petition against the amendments and reached out to provincial government officials to raise their concerns.

Davies’ response came after Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Nathan Cullen issued a statement on Wednesday saying the B.C. government would not proceed with the proposed amendments.

Cullen said this decision was due to the need for more time to engage with people to demonstrate the benefits of the amendments. 

The minister says claims he has heard from representatives of stakeholder groups are untrue.

“Some figures have gone to extremes to knowingly mislead the public about what the proposed legislation would do. They have sought to divide communities and spread hurt and distrust,” Cullen said in a statement.  

Davies says Cullen’s statement is referring to “anybody that’s standing up against his legislation.

“[Cullen] is talking to hundreds of thousands of British Columbians that have come forward,” said Davies. 

According to the provincial government, the Land Act amendments were meant to help implement the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) to allow First Nations to participate in decisions they are affected by.

The backlash came against the legislation, with residents feeling it would give a veto on decisions on Crown land.

“We will continue to engage with people and businesses and do the work to show how working together, First Nations and non-First Nations, can help bring stability and predictability, and move us all forward,” Cullen said.

In a press release on Thursday, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, says the union is unhappy with the government’s decision.

“We are absolutely disgusted that the opposition leaders of B.C. United and the B.C. Conservatives leveraged the proposed Land Act amendments as a shameless opportunity for partisan political gain,” said Chief Phillip. 

Chief Phillip stated the importance of Indigenous rights and expects the B.C. Legislature to work on an education campaign to fully implement DRIPA.

Energeticcity.ca reached out to local First Nations and the B.C. government for comment but did not receive a response by the time of this article’s publication.