Liberal Leadership candidate and Skeena MLA Ellis Ross takes aim at Throne Speech

Skeena MLA Ellis Ross delivered one of the BC Liberal Party's
responses to the Throne Speech, delivering his presentation 
on Thursday afternoon from Kitimat

As we noted yesterday, this has been Throne Speech Week at the BC Legislature, with the NDP's Nathan Cullen delivering a spirited defence of the government's blue print earlier in the week, that while members of the Opposition Liberals and Green Party offered up counter narratives to the path for BC that is ahead.

Yesterday afternoon, Skeena MLA Ellis Ross had his opportunity to review the government's view of what is planned for the future, with many watching far removed from the Legislature, gauging the Liberal members words and themes as part of a larger leadership campaign.

Mr. Ross was the first Liberal to hop into the race a few months ago, joined by a few others from the party in the weeks since, though with a platform such as his placement in the Legislature, his comments will be of some importance for Liberals in the province to take note of.

Much of the Skeena MLA's take on the speech was framed towards how the NDP government has rolled in its reconciliation plans through UNDRIP, a topic he's spoken of often in the last number of years.

His comments portraying the NDP government as mostly virtual signalling, rather than crafting any successful policy 

The MLA frequently outlining why he believes that approach has not the best one for any resident of the province and how the Premier and his ministers have reneged on many of the promises that they made to bring it into place.

I'd like to say it's with great pleasure I rise to speak to the throne speech, but it's actually quite not. It's not a pleasure, because there's really not much in it. But in terms of the introduction to the throne speech, I can't believe this NDP government is still trying to convince the people of B.C. that there is a new relationship between the B.C. government and First Nations people. 

And they're basing that on Bill 41, better known as UNDRIP, or the United Nations declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. They're not based on that. They're based on land acknowledgments, a virtue signalling term full of rhetoric but no substance. 

Yet since the passing of Bill 41, UNDRIP, the NDP have reneged on some of the biggest promises they made to First Nations in that bill in the first place — and then some. The NDP promised to consult First Nations rights and title holders in all new legislation. Well, right away, with the first piece of legislation that came into this Legislature, they broke that promise. They did not consult with rights and title holders. 

They also said that they were going to align all the laws in B.C. with rights and title, and they was going to do that under consultation with rights and title holders. 

They didn't do that. There's no proof that any of this was done. In fact, if anything, the answers that we got was that they actually consulted with political organizations like the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs or the Assembly of First Nations or the leadership council. 

And I've said it before. These organizations are not rights and title holders. Rights and title holders are actually held on behalf of a community. That's who the true rights and title holders are. 

So It only stands to reason that whoever represents that community actually has the right to speak on these rights and title issues.

Mr. Ross also spoke to some of the shortcomings of the UNDRIP legislation when it comes to the opportunities for First Nations to develop resources in their communities.

You've taken us 20 years back. In fact, if we even go back further than that, you've taken us back before 1982, when rights and title were first recognized in the Constitution of Canada, in section 35. 

And I made mention of this when we were debating the bill — that there is no real mention of the case law that was established in the courts of Canada and B.C. that breathes life into section 35 and that matters. 

It was a definition that actually laid out the rules for all three parties seated at a table that wanted to do something that infringed on rights and title. It laid out rules for the honour of the Crown. 

It laid out rules for Aboriginals. It laid out rules for third parties that wanted to do some type of project in a particular territory. 

And you know what, it was fair. It wasn't weighted in anybody's favour. Once everybody got an understanding of these principles, we began to see peace in the forest in terms of logging. 

Because the government saw the rights and title and created what we know, back to 12 years ago, as the forest and range agreement. Not only did it provide revenue-sharing to First Nations, it also provided volumes of timber for First Nations to log. So they could create their own jobs. So they could create their own revenues. So they could, then, turn around and build their own programs and address their own issues on their own terms. 

This is some of the great work that you are undoing. And it's not only in terms of resource projects. It's not only in terms of on-the-ground consultations. Some of the things that I'm reading now, in terms of what this NDP government thinks of First Nations issues, is offensive. 

We were one of the most progressive provinces in supplementing what First Nations were doing, in terms of their goals to reach independence. 

We were on a good track. Why did you want to stop that? I don't understand it.

His review explored themes of how revenue sharing has changed life for many First Nations communities  as well as the work that they have put into those opportunities, challenging how the NDP interprets what the path should be towards engagement with those communities.

I understand the attitudes of some NDP members, when you're talking about how evil a chief and council are, even though they're democratically elected. I understand that. 

I understand the opinions of people when they see Aboriginal people vying to be an MLA. I understand that. I understand what it means to not understand what it means to have an Aboriginal nickname in a community. I understand that. 

But what we're talking about here is much, much bigger. It's much bigger. It's not right that Aboriginals are misled by this idea of UNDRIP with broad, general, vague language. It's not even going to be followed in terms of consultative legislation, anyway. I was asked, in this House, by one of the ministers if I could come in and actually give him some advice or help them along with this UNDRIP bill. 

It's not my bill. It's your bill. And if you had every intention of not following your bill…. You've got to look inwardly. You've got to look at yourselves, especially when you're talking about one of the most disadvantaged people in Canada. 

I mean, great with your land acknowledgments. Good for you. 

Man, I really applaud you. But not once have I ever heard anybody talk, on that side of the House, about the high levels of incarceration of Indigenous people, the high levels of suicide, the high levels of substance abuse, the high levels of Aboriginal kids still going into government care. Not once. 

In fact, elected chief and councils are not evil. Elected chief and councils are trying to raise their revenues so they could put a stop to this, so they could slow it down. 

For those people in the House that claim Aboriginal ancestry or claim to have a close working relationship with Aboriginal leaders and people, you should know this. 

So why are you not even following your own legislation? Why are you not telling the Aboriginals the truth about UNDRIP? 

Because I don't see anything coming out of this that is actually going to improve the standard of life, which, in turn, mind you, will raise the standard of living for every British Columbian. That's been proven here in B.C. 

Because that's been proven here in Kitimat with LNG. It has lifted everybody's boat.  

While clearly just warming up, the Skeena MLA took note of the clock on a late Thursday afternoon and with the session for the week set to expire, reserved his right to continue at some other point of the Legislature schedule in the week to come.

Mr. Ross may have a new focus for next week however, the NDP government and Finance Minister Selina Robinson are set to introduce their somewhat delayed but much anticipated budget on Tuesday, that will surely be offering the MLA from Skeena some new material to work with.

You can review his full presentation to the Legislature from the hansard minutes here, his response the the Throne speech starts just after the 5:25 PM mark of the Thursday session.

A video presentation of the commentary can be viewed from the Legislature video archive again at the 5:25 PM mark.

For more notes related to the BC Legislature see our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.