The First Nations Summit has argued that Aboriginal land claims do not put private property at risk in Canada, suggesting any assertion otherwise is "misinformation."
FNS is an NGO that "speaks on behalf of First Nations involved in treaty negotiations in British Columbia."
The group took umbrage at comments made by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre during a trip to British Columbia, where he warned "every major community [could be] threatened by the loss of home ownership" if precedence-setting court rulings are applied province-wide.
Jarryd Jäger
"The Cowichan decision is not and never was about taking away people's homes or private fee-simple property," FNS Chief Shana Thomas said in a statement. "The court simply reaffirmed principles that have existed in Canadian law for decades — namely that First Nations title was never automatically extinguished by the Crown."
She argued that "what the ruling clearly calls for is reconciliation processes and the negotiation of treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements, and not panic."
Fellow FNS Executive Robert Phillips echoed her sentiments, chalking Poilievre's claims up to "fear mongering."
He argued that the same rhetoric was espoused at the beginning of the treaty negotiation process over three decades ago, as well as following court decisions such as Delgamuukw and Tsilhqot'in.
"The sky has not fallen and private property systems continued to function," he said.
FNS encouraged British Columbians to "take the necessary time to understand the real legal facts and information rather than political rhetoric and misinformation or social media speculation."
