The B.C. government is consulting the public on reforms to the Land Act to facilitate shared decision-making under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). The Land Act deals with how public land is...more
Dans le cadre de l’affaire Gitxaala v. British Columbia, la Cour suprême de la Colombie-Britannique (la « Cour ») a statué que la délivrance de claims miniers en Colombie-Britannique entraîne l’obligation, pour la Couronne,...more
In Gitxaala v. British Columbia, the British Columbia Supreme Court ruled that the issuance of mineral claims in British Columbia triggers the Crown’s duty to consult Indigenous nations. The Court suspended its declaration...more
In its January 7, 2022 decision in Thomas and Saik’uz First Nation v. Rio Tinto Alcan Inc., the British Columbia Supreme Court (Court) affirmed the plaintiffs’ Aboriginal right to fish but denied their claim for relief...more
Le 23 avril 2021, la Cour suprême du Canada (la « CSC ») a confirmé qu’un résident des États-Unis peut posséder des droits ancestraux au Canada. Elle a déterminé que les droits autochtones protégés par l’article 35 de la Loi...more
On April 23, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed that residents of the United States of America can hold Aboriginal rights in this country. The Court concluded that the Aboriginal rights protected by section 35 of the...more
Le 3 décembre 2020, le gouvernement fédéral a déposé le projet de loi C-15, Loi concernant la Déclaration des Nations Unies sur les droits des peuples autochtones (le « projet de loi C-15 »). S’il est adopté, ce projet de loi...more
On December 3, 2020, the federal government introduced Bill C-15, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Bill C-15). If adopted, Bill C-15 would affirm the United Nations Declaration on the...more
Section 25 is an infrequently cited provision of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter) that protects certain Aboriginal interests from Charter scrutiny. In Dickson v. Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation (Dickson),...more
In its July 27, 2020 decision in Gamlaxyeltxw v. British Columbia (Minister of Forests, Lands & Natural Resource Operations), the British Columbia Court of Appeal held that where an Indigenous Nation asserts Aboriginal rights...more
On October 24, 2019, the B.C. government introduced legislation which, if adopted, will be known as the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Act). The legislation aims to incorporate the United Nations...more
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) determined that Ministers of the Crown have no duty to consult Aboriginal Peoples in the development of legislation, in its October 11, 2018 decision in Mikisew Cree First Nation v. Canada...more
What happens when a First Nation asserts aboriginal rights or title that conflict with another First Nation’s rights under a modern treaty? In its recent decision, Gamlaxyeltxw v. British Columbia (Minister of Forests, Lands...more
On February 8, 2018, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-69 to reform the federal environmental impact assessment process, replace the National Energy Board and amend the Navigation Protection Act. Two days earlier,...more
The British Columbia Supreme Court (BCSC) affirmed in R. v. DeSautel (DeSautel) that the constitutional protection of aboriginal rights in s. 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 extends to an aboriginal group that resides in the...more
On December 1, 2017, in First Nations of Nacho Nyak Dun v. Yukon (Nacho Nyak Dun), the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) overturned a Yukon government decision to open the Peel watershed for development and significantly modify...more
On May 31, 2017, the British Columbia Supreme Court (Court) in Yahey v. British Columbia (Yahey) denied a second injunction application by Blueberry River First Nations (BRFN) to limit future development in certain portions...more
On March 27, 2017, in an unprecedented decision, the Provincial Court of British Columbia (Court) ruled in R. v. DeSautel (DeSautel) to recognize the aboriginal rights of a First Nation whose members reside in the United...more
Does the Crown have a duty to consult when contemplating and introducing legislation that may adversely impact aboriginal rights? In its recent decision in Canada (Governor General in Council) v. Courtoreille, the Federal...more
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) declared in Daniels v. Canada (Indian Affairs and Northern Development) that Métis and non-status Indians are “Indians” under section 91(24) of the Constitution Act, 1867, meaning they come...more
Yes, said the Court of Appeal for British Columbia (Court) in its recent decision in Chartrand v. British Columbia (Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations). The Court found that the provincial Crown had not adequately...more