Protecting Land Rights and Property Certainty

I introduced a bill to repeal DRIPA because what’s happening under DRIPA has become a land and property issue, not just a political or symbolic one.

DRIPA was supposed to bring clarity and unity. Instead, the way it’s being applied has created uncertainty around land, permitting, resources, and governance across British Columbia. For farmers, ranchers, landowners, and rural communities, that uncertainty is devastating. If you don’t know whether the rules will change, whether permits will be delayed, or whether land-use decisions will be made behind closed doors, you can’t plan, invest, or pass anything on to the next generation. That’s why this ties directly to land rights and property ownership.

Reconciliation was meant to bring people together, Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike. But DRIPA, as it’s being implemented, has done the opposite. It has shifted decision-making away from transparent, accountable processes and left everyday British Columbians carrying the legal, social, and economic consequences of decisions they didn’t make.

I was very clear in the Legislature: the historical harms reconciliation seeks to address were created and enforced by governments not by today’s farmers, families, or rural communities. Yet those same families are now being told to absorb the cost, the uncertainty, and the risk. That isn’t fair, and it isn’t reconciliation.

Land rights matter because when people lose certainty over their land whether it’s a farm, a business, or a family property, everything else starts to break down. Jobs disappear. Food production drops. Communities fracture. Trust in government erodes.

That’s why I believe DRIPA must be repealed and the conversation reset. We can work together but not like this. Real reconciliation requires truth, clarity, transparency, and partnership, not division, secrecy, and uncertainty over the ground beneath people’s feet.

I stand for land rights and property ownership because without certainty, people can’t build, invest, or stay and British Columbia loses far more than it gains.

• Introduced a bill to repeal DRIPA to mitigate its impacts

• Raised concerns about closed-door meetings and decision-making

• Spoke to the economic and social consequences of uncertainty

Introduction of Bills - Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Statute Repeal Act

In this clip, I introduce legislation to repeal DRIPA, explaining why its current implementation has become a land and property rights issue with real economic and social consequences. I raise concerns about closed-door decision-making, regulatory uncertainty, and the growing risk facing farmers, ranchers, landowners, and rural communities who can no longer plan, invest, or pass land on with confidence.

In this clip, I speak out against Bill 27, raising concerns about how it enables closed-door decision-making that affects land use, property rights, and local communities. I highlight the risks of concentrating power away from transparent, accountable processes and the uncertainty this creates for landowners, farmers, and rural British Columbians.

In this clip, I explain why Bill 25 is harmful to British Columbia communities, particularly when it comes to land use, local decision-making, and property rights. I raise concerns about how the bill weakens local input, concentrates authority, and creates uncertainty for landowners and municipalities.

My position is that property ownership depends on clear rules, transparent processes, and respect for community voices. When legislation undermines those principles, it puts investment, planning, and long-term community stability at risk.

Without certainty over land and permitting, families can’t plan, invest, or pass property on to the next generation.

I will continue to push for transparency, fairness, and a reset of how land-use decisions are made in British Columbia.