B.C. to contest lawsuit by U.S.-based tribes over consultation rights in Canada

By Chuck Chiang British Columbia’s premier says his government will be fighting a lawsuit by an Aboriginal group based in the United States, saying B.C.’s obligations are to Indigenous people in Canada. David Eby was responding to litigation brought by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington state, which says it is being unfairly excluded from B.C.’s consultation with First Nations. In a statement posted online, the Colville Tribes say the group filed suit against B.C. after the province adopted a policy of notifying the group about decisions instead of consulting them. The Colville Tribes say they are part of the Sinixt people and should be treated as an “Aboriginal people of Canada” who were “driven out” of their ancestral lands in B.C. due to Canadian colonialization. The…

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