Peace River North MLA Jordan Kealy calls for repeal of DRIPA

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The MLA of Peace River North is calling for the repeal of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).

In a November 19th press release, MLA Jordan Kealy expressed his concern for the alleged division in the province, laying the blame at the feet of the NDP provincial government and describing its DRIPA bill as “divisive and polarizing.” 

Energeticcity.ca is reaching out to Treaty 8 First Nations for their reaction and comment on the news. 

“I’ve lived in British Columbia my whole life, and I have never seen our province more divided than it is today,” said Kealy. 

“In my first year in this legislature, I’ve watched this government talk in circles, deflect responsibility and pretend this growing division isn’t happening. But people see it. They feel it. And they are losing patience.”

Kealy alleged reconciliation in B.C. was being “twisted into something it was never meant to be,” calling the act a “wedge.”

“Everywhere I go, from the north to [Vancouver] Island, to the Interior, people tell me the same thing: they feel like they’re being shut out of decisions that affect their lives,” Kealy said. 

“And Indigenous communities tell me they’re tired of being used as political shields while this government hides behind them.”

The MLA went on to call for the repeal of DRIPA to “reset the conversation” on reconciliation.

“Real reconciliation means truth, clarity and partnership, not division, secrecy and the government washing its hands of the mess it created.”

The provincial government passed DRIPA into law in November 2019, and it established the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the province’s framework for reconciliation.

Energeticcity.ca will update this story as more information becomes available.