(Lheidli T’enneh Territory, Prince George, BC) — After an election that was neither needed nor wanted, the Liberals have succeeded in winning another minority government with nearly the same seat count as before the writ was dropped.
“This is the best result for First Nations,” said Terry Teegee, Regional Chief of the BC Assembly of First Nations. “Having a minority government forces parties to work together and has enabled Indigenous peoples to push for real gains. We will keep pushing the Trudeau Liberals and expect to continue to see progress during the 44th parliament,” he continued.
During the last parliament the BC Assembly of First Nations, along with the National AFN, succeeded in passing of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. There were also gains in funding for First Nations governments, individuals, and businesses during the COVID emergency.
During the next parliament, the BCAFN will continue to push the Liberal Government to implement all 94 calls to action from the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, implementing the National Action Plan on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, aligning laws with the UN Declaration, and ending boil water advisories among many other priorities.