‘Pivotal moment’: Trudeau celebrates 10th anniversary of landmark Tsilhqotʼin ruling

B.C. Minister of Indigenous Relations Murray Rankin called it a powerful and moving experience to be in Tsilhqot’in territory on the anniversary of a ruling that changed Canadian history.

The Tsilhqot’in, representing six First Nation communities with a common culture and history, is the only Indigenous group to win recognition of its Aboriginal title to a specific area of land through Canada’s highest court.

Reflecting on the decision a decade later, Rankin said he believed reconciliation was rarely, if ever, achieved in a courtroom, so the best route to determine Aboriginal title was through negotiation.

“The fact that 10 years ago, the Supreme Court of Canada declared that there’s actually aboriginal title on the ground, right here in the Nemaiah Valley, it’s really, really powerful and poignant to be here,” Rankin said.

Anandasangaree agreed, calling the Tsilhqot’in court decision a “milestone” that marked an “important step toward decolonization.”

He said the ruling meant that “title was rightfully restored and we’re here to mark that occasion.”

“We’re celebrating a path forward for Canada. while it’s very significant for the Tsilhqot’in people, it’s still very important to Canada as well because for far too long, we have been reaffirming colonial practices and this is one of the very important steps toward the decolonization.”

He said land was “a critical part of reconciliation.”

Trudeau and his youngest son, Hadrien, met with First Nations chiefs on Wednesday, and spoke with elders and witnesses involved in the years-long court case.

The prime minister travelled to the valley, about 350 kilometres north of Vancouver, just days after his party lost a pivotal Toronto-area byelection in a riding that had been held by the Liberals for more than three decades.

Trudeau said during an unrelated news conference on Tuesday that the outcome showed his government had more work to do to deliver results Canadians can see, but he didn’t answer questions. He wouldn’t take questions on Wednesday either.

In 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada found the Tsilhqot’in successfully proved title by showing regular and exclusive use of the claim area, and that B.C. had breached its duty to consult them. It recognized Aboriginal title in five per cent of what the First Nation considered its traditional territory, while protecting rights like fishing, harvesting and trapping in the broader claim area.

The decision said the Tsilhqot’in have lived and roamed for centuries in a remote valley bounded by rivers and mountains in central B.C.

Unlike other parts of Canada, much of the land in British Columbia has never been ceded through treaties and the court said the Tsilhqot’in were among hundreds of Indigenous groups in the province with unresolved land claims.

B.C. Premier David Eby said in a statement that a decade after the ruling, the province was continuing to work with First Nation elders and leaders to find a path forward “based on reconciliation, respect and recognition of rights.”

“B.C. is committed to a progressive and deepening government-to-government relationship with the Tsilhqot’in Nation because we see time and time again that a rising tide lifts all boats,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2024.

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

‘Pivotal moment’: Trudeau celebrates 10th anniversary of landmark Tsilhqotʼin ruling

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