MLA's petition to repeal DRIPA approved by Elections BC

BC Conservative MLA Harman Bhangu's initiative petition to repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act has been approved by Elections BC.

The party has been given from October 26, 2026 until January 25, 2027 to convince the required signatories — at least 10% of registered voters in each of BC's 93 ridings.

Achieving that goal does not, however, guarantee the law will be repealed. Repealing DRIPA must still be voted on in the legislature.

"DRIPA has been a disaster for BC, and it needs to be repealed," Bhangu said in a statement. "For months, the NDP has treated it like a moving target: amend it, don't amend it, suspend it, don't suspend it. When the Legislature returns, David Eby will have three weeks to show British Columbians whether his government finally has a position it is willing to stand behind."

The petition was submitted under the Recall and Initiative Act, which gives citizens the ability to "propose new laws or changes to existing laws."

WATCH: Eby says gov’t ditching plan to suspend DRIPA in favour of ‘collaboration’ with First Nations chiefs

The move comes amid uncertainty regarding how the government would move forward.

Sitka MediaJarryd Jäger

In April, Premier Eby said his government would be ditching plans to suspend DRIPA in favour of "collaboration" with First Nations.

"It is absolutely possible as a leader to move off confidently in the wrong direction," he admitted, explaining that his team was "prepared to introduce legislation today" to "put a hold," on DRIPA, but that "a series of calls" with First Nations Leadership Council chiefs changed his mind.

The BC Conservatives have made it clear they would like to see DRIPA repealed, though there is some internal debate as to what would be done afterwards.