BC First Nations fear protests and conflict over fast-track legislation

First Nations leaders in British Columbia say proposed legislation to fast-track resource projects will likely lead to protests and litigation should the provincial government push the law through.

Robert Phillips with the First Nations Summit said the B.C. government's proposed legislation, known as Bill 15, to approve infrastructure projects more quickly was done unilaterally, causing frustration and upset among First Nations leadership.

"Today marks an unfortunate, yet avoidable moment in the history of British Columbia," Phillips said Thursday at a joint news conference with the Union of B.C. Municipalities, which has also opposed the legislation.

"The province of B.C. has chosen to abandon decades of work, where we've done intensive collective work to build principled pathways, tools to advance reconciliation for the benefit of not only First Nations, but of all British Columbians," Phillips said.

Phillips said there will be conflict, litigation and protests if the B.C. NDP fails to "kill the bill" without engaging with First Nations on potential amendments, fearing a return to the conflict-ridden past with the provincial government under former B.C. Liberal premier Christy Clark.

"When we were battling the government day in, day out," he said.

Premier David Eby said the legislation would benefit both Indigenous communities and municipalities.

"Moving faster doesn't have to mean reducing standards," Eby said at a news conference after attending the western premiers conference in Whitehorse.

He added that "it can't happen at the expense of Indigenous rights."

Eby has previously said the legislation is needed to combat the threat of tariffs imposed by the United States under President Donald Trump.

Phillips said First Nations chiefs feel "betrayed" by the province for trying to push through the laws without proper consultation, calling it a regressive step on the road to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

First Nations and the Union of B.C. Municipalities are calling on Eby's government to abandon the bill as written and commit to consultation to conform to obligations under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

Trish Mandewo, the union's president, said the province's infrastructure bill is also inviting conflict with B.C. municipalities over the "extraordinary powers to override regulations including local government's official city plans, zoning bylaw amendments and subdivision approval processes."

"As has been proven in the past, a fast-tracked approach that skips over consultation is more likely to lead to problems down the road, and mistakes happen when legislation is pushed through too quickly," she said.

"We are seeing a pattern where decision-making is being removed from local communities and is being centralized in Victoria."

Mandewo said she believed the bill ran the risk of "eroding public trust" in the democratic process, urging the province to shelve the bill at a time when local governments feel like they're "losing autonomy."

"If the democratic processes are bypassed, then it actually fuels that mistrust," she said. "So what we are looking for here is go back, engage, consult, and then move in a meaningful manner so that we can do the best for British Columbians."