SURREY, B.C. — OneBC is escalating its criticism of the B.C. Conservatives over their position on the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), claiming the party temporarily removed its commitment to repeal the legislation from its election platform before restoring it following political backlash.
In a campaign message released October 7, OneBC said the B.C. Conservatives had removed any reference to repealing DRIPA from their campaign platform and accused the party of backing away from an earlier commitment.
OneBC interim leader Dallas Brodie said the development demonstrated why voters should support her party, which has made repeal of DRIPA one of its central campaign commitments.
“OneBC is the only party that will repeal DRIPA,” the party said in its campaign communication.
However, the B.C. Conservatives have since published a DRIPA-specific policy page on their website dated October 7, stating that “DRIPA must be repealed.” The party says its leader, Lorne Doerkson, remains committed to repealing the legislation while working with First Nations on economic partnerships and development.
The Conservatives had also previously stated in a September 23 campaign announcement that the party would run on a plan that included repealing DRIPA.
The issue has therefore become a point of distinction between OneBC and the Conservatives as the October 24 provincial election approaches.
What is DRIPA?
The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, commonly known as DRIPA, was passed by the B.C. Legislature in 2019. The legislation establishes the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation in B.C. and provides for the alignment of provincial laws with the declaration.
The legislation has become increasingly controversial during the election campaign, particularly among parties and candidates concerned about its implications for property rights, resource development, government decision-making and relationships between the provincial government and First Nations.
OneBC has taken the strongest position against the legislation. Its platform calls for DRIPA to be repealed and for UNDRIP to have no force and effect in B.C.
OneBC has also launched a petition calling for a referendum on DRIPA, saying British Columbians should have the opportunity to decide the issue directly.
OneBC’s argument
In its October 7 campaign message, OneBC argued that DRIPA threatens public and private property rights and accused both the NDP and Conservatives of ultimately supporting the legislation.
Brodie also criticized the government’s approach to treaties and Indigenous relations, arguing that the issue could have significant consequences for British Columbia.
Those claims are part of OneBC’s political campaign and remain contested. The party has made DRIPA repeal a defining issue of its election platform.
The Conservatives, meanwhile, now publicly state that they intend to repeal DRIPA while pursuing what they describe as a new approach based on cooperation and economic reconciliation with First Nations.
A major campaign dividing line
With the provincial election scheduled for October 24, DRIPA is emerging as another issue on which right-of-centre parties are seeking to differentiate themselves.
OneBC is running candidates in a portion of B.C.’s 93 electoral districts and has made repeal of DRIPA its top platform commitment. The party released its broader election platform earlier this week.
For voters, the key question is no longer simply whether parties support or oppose DRIPA, but what legislative changes they would make, how they would address Indigenous rights and treaties, and what the practical consequences would be for property, natural-resource development and provincial decision-making.
StudioX News will continue to follow the positions of the NDP, B.C. Conservatives, OneBC and other parties as the October 24 election approaches.
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving diaspora communities across 44 languages. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, NEPMCC, and the Canadian Freelance Union (Unifor). Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
