Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on the Liberal government to support a House of Commons motion that seeks to protect the property rights of landowners in the wake of the Cowichan Tribes decision.
The symbolic motion calls for the Liberal government to reverse a federal litigation guideline and require federal lawyers to argue that private property rights take priority over other forms of title. The motion will be put to a vote in Parliament on May 25.
The initiative follows a 2025 B.C. Supreme Court decision in Cowichan Tribes v. Canada, which recognized Aboriginal title over portions of land in Richmond, B.C. The ruling said Aboriginal title is a constitutionally protected interest and found that some government-granted land interests were inconsistent with that title. The decision is currently under appeal by the federal and B.C. governments, as well as other affected parties….