Premier Eby says changing DRIPA is ‘non-negotiable’ and will pass this session

By Canadian Press on April 1, 2026.

VICTORIA — B.C. Premier David Eby says that changing the Declaration on the Rights of Aboriginal Peoples Act is “non-negotiable” and it will be pushed into law.

Eby’s statement comes ahead of his meeting with First Nations leaders on Thursday to discuss the changes to the legislation, which was cited in the landmark Cowichan Tribes Aboriginal title court decision that has sparked concerns about implications for private land ownership.

The premier’s pledge comes as a letter from outgoing Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie calls on the Cowichan Nation to renounce any claim to private property following last year’s court ruling.

The ruling says sections of the Land Title Act that establish fee-simple title as “indefeasible” do not apply to Aboriginal title, and calls on the province and the First Nation to negotiate the reconciliation of private-title interests with Cowichan Aboriginal title.

Eby says he can assure Brodie that private property won’t be used a bargaining chip.

Thursday’s meeting between Eby and Indigenous leaders comes amid ongoing opposition from First Nations to any changes to the act, which is based on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Eby says the process has been “rushed” and “incredibly challenging,” but the government has no other choice because of the legal risk facing the province.

“We have to ensure clarity for British Columbians about the act, what it is and what it isn’t,” he says. “The same is true for private property.”

The proposed changes to DRIPA show that government plans to scrap part of the legislation that says it “must take all measures necessary to ensure the laws of British Columbia are consistent with the declaration.”

The proposed changes, in documents seen by The Canadian Press, employ language that is far less definitive.

Instead of describing how the province must align its “laws” with the declaration, it says the government will instead be “working toward aligning enactments with the declaration.”

Eby says Thursday’s meeting will gather feedback to the proposed amendments, including the language that would make DRIPA less definitive in its application.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2026.

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press