VANDERHOOF, BC: “This is British Columbia and Canada — we are all Canadians. Our shared Crown Land belongs to us all. Conservatives do not support the Eby NDP’s sweeping changes to BC's Land Act. It is an assault on your private property rights and our shared rights to use Crown Land. Conservatives will defend your rights to outdoor recreation — and your water access, as well as BC’s mining, forestry, agriculture sectors and every other land use right British Columbians currently enjoy.
“As BC’s Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, I signed over 435 agreements with BC’s First Nations — more than any other leader in modern Canadian history. Together, alongside many of BC’s First Nations leaders, I was proud to create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs for everyday Union and non-Union workers. Through this economic reconciliation, we saw First Nations communities rise up from impoverished conditions and truly begin to thrive.
“To achieve true reconciliation, BC must first be brave enough to come forward and address the issue of returning land to First Nations, who do not currently have sufficient property rights needed to secure prosperity. We must also repeal the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was established for conditions in other countries — not Canada.
“It is clear that this cannot mean returning all traditional lands; returning lands needs to be based on economic reconciliation, which is not about transferring potential from one group to another — but rather adding potential for all British Columbians. Issues like suicide, poverty, addiction, and poor rates of education completion have all declined significantly wherever economic reconciliation has occurred.
“This is the right path for Indigenous and non-Indigenous British Columbians. It is also the right path for BC and Canada. It will bring predictability and unleash enormous investment into BC — creating great jobs for everyday, hardworking people and improving the quality of life for everyone.
“This is the goal of the Conservative Party of BC — fighting to achieve a better life for all British Columbians, and especially everyday workers. Enough of the politics of division. Let’s get on with realizing BC’s full potential.”
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