On Sept. 19, while addressing local elected officials at the Union of BC Municipalities annual conference in Vancouver, Premier David Eby accused BC Conservative Leader John Rustad of sowing racism and division related to First Nation/BC government land use agreements.
On Sept. 20, Rustad addressed the same local officials and refuted the premier’s claims. In a separate interview, Rustad spoke to the topic. The following are excerpts from those appearances and interview.
Eby Statement
Eby: “John Rustad… looked in the eyes the Haida elders and said, ‘This is the right thing to do. This was the only thing that can be done here. And this is important, this work that we’re doing.’
“That was his speech. You can look it up in Hansard. Then he walked out of that legislature, and he got on social media and he said, ‘British Columbia, watch out. They’re coming for your backyards.’”
“I will never, ever tolerate the kind of racism and division that is being promoted by the BC Conservative Party right now, because it will make us poorer, it will make us less prosperous. It will make us less safe, it will make us less successful.
“I really regret the strategy that John Rustad and the conservatives are taking around this, sowing fear and division and trying to drive us against each other, because indigenous people aren’t going anywhere. Their rights are protected by the Constitution.”
Rustad response
Rustad: “There was a deal on Haida Gwaii for title. I fully support title. I think it’s the right thing to do. We need to be able to address these issues with First Nations. But title on Haida Gwaii will now exist underneath your private property, underneath your communities. That also means Haida law will apply to those communities.
“Haida law will be able to make decisions about taxation – what you can and can’t do – which could override your right as a community to be able to make decisions. That is a potential now to go anywhere in this province, and it’s something that needs to be thought about and talked about.”
“I support Haida a title. I do. But it should never have been included underneath private land and infrastructure,” Rustad said in a separate interview. “Title land could be all around, but private land should never be on the table for things like title. It is private land. It is the foundation, quite frankly, of people being able to build the future, and it’s a core foundation, from my perspective, of people’s rights in this country.”