Commentary
After nearly seven years, it is time to compare the promise of UNDRIP to its track record.
Back in 2019, the government in British Columbia passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), hailing it as a historic and transformational move to improve relations with indigenous communities by harmonizing provincial law with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
By 2026, it’s reasonable to ask what DRIPA has actually achieved. The government set five objectives: advance reconciliation, improve relationships and trust with indigenous communities through cooperation and shared decision-making, make provincial laws and policies consistent with indigenous rights as reflected in UNDRIP, reduce conflict and litigation over land and resource decisions, and improve social and economic outcomes for indigenous peoples by embedding respect for rights into government decision-making….