May 27, 2025
The Honourable David Eby
Office of the Premier
PO BOX 9041 STN Prov. Govt.
Victoria, BC V8W 9E1
Via Email Only: [email protected]

RE: Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs Opposition to Bills 14 and 15

Dear Premier Eby,
We are writing to raise Gitanyow Hereditary Chief’s serious concerns about Bills 14 and 15.

Your comments and the content of the bills have left many questions unexplained and unanswered for us. We are in court concerning a major proposed oil and gas infrastructure project —Ksi Lisims LNG — which we have determined will have profoundly negative effects on the Gitanyow Huwilp including to endangered salmon and our way of life.

With the outcome of this legal challenge not yet resolved, we cannot accept the possibility of accelerated resource development affecting our Lax’yip without our consent and without robust environmental assessment processes and regulatory oversight.

By removing provincial responsibility under the Environmental Assessment Act process, you are abdicating consultation and consent duties that are parallel to the Gitanyow Wilp Sustainability Assessment Process, which B.C. has recognized as an expression of Gitanyow Ayookxw (laws).

There has been no meaningful consultation with First Nations, including ours, in developing these bills. You are contravening the province’s commitments under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (“DRIPA”) and moving us backwards on reconciliation at the very time we must move forwards. Indigenous communities like ours often bear the heaviest burdens and impacts from industrial development in B.C. while receiving the fewest benefits, hardly a testament to so-called economic reconciliation.

We re-iterate and echo concerns raised by the First Nations Leadership Council including:
• That the bills do not contain a requirement for consent from First Nations before a project can proceed or be designated for streamlining.
• That a project must be in a First Nation’s “core territory” before it can be designated for fast-tracking. No explanation has been provided as to what “core territory” means nor who will determine whether a project is, or is not, in a First Nation’s “core territory”. This approach seriously risks prejudicing the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs in our current efforts to have our Aboriginal title in the Lax’yip recognized by either agreement or court declaration.

Furthermore, we do not accept the bills’ sweeping powers to fast-track major infrastructure projects without proper environmental assessment or public oversight. The Gitanyow are continuing to fight in court against projects that we have determined will hurt our people and territory. This includes the increased health harms from industrial pollution and in particular climate-destroying fossil fuel development. Health burdens disproportionately affect Indigenous communities like ours and raise profound concerns around environmental justice.

While you have said publicly that Bill 15 will not be used to fast-track LNG facilities or pipelines, there is no reflection of this commitment in the legislation’s text. We are deeply concerned that you are paving the way for future governments to ignore this commitment and double down on fossil fuel development in our territory.

We have always taken the environmental assessment processes for projects affecting our territory extremely seriously. They are present to protect the health of our community, our ecosystems and our way of life. Bypassing these safeguards to speed up economic development that is not part of our sustainable economic development plan is not only a threat to our community but also to the ability of your government to address the accelerating climate crisis and meet legislated climate targets.

The Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs are joining the call for you to withdraw Bills 14 and 15 to allow for meaningful consultation between your government and First Nations in B.C. over the summer on necessary amendments.

If you decide to proceed to pass Bill 14 and 15, Gitanyow reserves the right to disallow the provincial application in the Gitanyow Lax’yip until such a time as a proper DRIPA process has been complete.

We trust and hope that you will consider our concerns and change course on this legislation.

Sincerely,

Malii/Glen Williams President & Chief Negotiator
Cc: BC Green Party Caucus Union of BC Indian Chiefs (on behalf of the First Nations Leadership Council) Declaration Act Secretariat Minister Tamara Davidson