BC's DRIPA Changes Face Indigenous Backlash

British Columbia's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People's Act is under fire from

First Nations leaders over proposed changes.

Robert Phillips, from the First Nations Summit, calls the amendments a sledgehammer that would

gut the landmark law and rewind relations with the province by decades.

Ahead of Thursday's meeting between First Nations heads and premier David Eby, the premier

argues the tweaks are needed to hand reconciliation duties to elected MLAs instead of the courts.

Phillips warns of big pushback, with First Nations weighing lawsuits in street protests

if the change is pushed through.

He points to Indigenous MLAs potentially facing their own Elijah Harper moment, like

the lay politician who stalled Manitoba's Meech Lake Accord back.

In 1990, details on the amendments are under wraps due to a non-disclosure agreement and

it's unclear when legislators will review them.

Phillips stresses First Nations aren't aiming to spark an election, but sees this as a defining

moment in BC history.

As leaders sit down this week, the big question is whether Eby will have paused and keep Drippas

promise alive for real progress.

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