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Eby Pushes Time-Limited Pause on B.C.’s DRIPA Facing First Nations Revolt

A court ruling that could give UN Indigenous rights immediate force in provincial law drove the move to pause parts of the act.

Image
Grand Chief Phillip Stewart is on the right and B.C. Premier David Eby is on the left.
Huy’wu’qw Shana Thomas (Laxele’wuts’aat), the hereditary chief of Lyackson First Nation, which is part of the larger Cowichan Nation, says the province has relied on misleading claims to justify pausing sections of DRIPA. Thomas is pictured at the 10th B.C. Cabinet and First Nations Leaders’ Gathering on Nov. 4, 2025.

Overview

  • Premier David Eby says his government has the votes to pass legislation pausing sections of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act for up to three years in a confidence vote.
  • Eby argues the pause is needed to manage what he calls very serious litigation risk after the Gitxaala ruling, which interpreted the act to give the UN declaration immediate effect across B.C. laws.
  • First Nations leaders condemned the plan, with the First Nations Leadership Council calling it a breach of trust and a unilateral betrayal that would stall implementation of Indigenous rights.
  • Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said NDP MLA Joan Phillip, his wife, opposes any meddling with the law and urged MLAs to vote their conscience, underscoring the pivotal role of the caucus’s three Indigenous members.
  • A confidential draft seen by media pointed to softer wording on the act’s purpose, while DRIPA’s 2019 passage had pledged to align B.C. laws with the UN declaration, a commitment critics say the pause would undercut.