British Columbia’s government will not back down on its Indigenous rights legislation in the face of a newly approved repeal petition, and a senior minister is casting the campaign as a danger to the province’s economy and to national unity.
Spencer Chandra-Herbert, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, told StudioX News the government stands firmly behind the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, known as DRIPA, and will oppose any effort to tear it down.
“Partnerships with First Nations, that respect their rights, are creating tens of thousands of good-paying jobs and advancing $88 billion in proposed major projects,” Chandra-Herbert said. “At a time when our country is under attack, we need to come together not divide.”
He took direct aim at BC Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay, whose party is driving the repeal effort.
“Kerry-Lynne Findlay’s plans to tear up DRIPA, fight with First Nations and pit neighbour against neighbour, would lead to massive jobs losses, hurt our health care, environment, communities and lead to economic chaos,” he said. “Findlay’s destructive plan is yet again playing into the hands of Donald Trump, and would make Canada weaker.”
What the petition does
Elections BC approved in principle an initiative petition submitted by Harman Bhangu, the BC Conservative MLA for Langley-Abbotsford and the party’s transportation critic. The petition seeks to pass a “Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Repeal Act, 2026.”
The process runs under B.C.’s Recall and Initiative Act. Canvassing opens October 26, 2026, and completed signature sheets must reach Elections BC by January 25, 2027. To succeed, canvassers must collect signatures from at least 10 per cent of registered voters in every one of B.C.’s 93 electoral districts, a threshold no initiative petition in the province has ever met.
Even if it clears that bar, the petition is not binding. Success would send the matter to the Legislative Assembly, which would decide what happens next.
Bhangu has called DRIPA “a disaster for B.C.” and accused the NDP of treating the law as “a moving target.” Findlay has called the legislation “madness.”
Why it matters here
DRIPA, passed in 2019, affirms the application of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples across B.C. legislation. It has become one of the province’s sharpest political flashpoints, with business groups raising concerns about project certainty and First Nations leaders warning that repeal would strip away recognition of basic rights.
For B.C.’s newcomer and diaspora communities, many of whom are building lives and businesses in a province where major resource and infrastructure projects shape the job market, the outcome touches directly on economic stability and the relationships that underpin it.
The Legislature returns this fall. The petition campaign begins in late October.
StudioX News requested comment through B.C. Government Communications and Public Engagement. The statement above was provided on the record by Minister Chandra-Herbert.
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, Unifor, NEPMCC, and the Canada Freelance Union. Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
