At the Oct. 2 all-candidates debate where West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA hopefuls squared off at Don Ross Middle School, the provincial candidates were asked for their perspective on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
Here's what the MLA hopefuls had to say in the 60 seconds they were given to answer the two-part question: "What does reconciliation mean to you, and how will you work with First Nations."
Jeremy Valeriote—BC Green Party
Jeremy Valeriote, of the BC Green Party, spoke of close personal friendships he has formed with Sea to Sky folks who are First Nations, such as becoming a lifelong friend with a Líĺwat member he was on ski patrol with at Whistler Blackcomb and another man who he attended a sweat lodge with.
"Reconciliation for me, is talking to Squamish Nation members and the Squamish Valley who believe that economic opportunities should come that don't compromise their stewardship of the land and the water and the air," he said.
He also referenced Conservative leader John Rustad's stand that the NDP government's agreement with the Haida Nation, which formally recognized Haida’s Aboriginal title, was a threat to property rights.
"That is absolutely false, it does the opposite. That is not reconciliation," he said. "[Reconciliation] is not, absolutely not, about words. It is about being part of understanding Indigenous people and integrating the things that we can of their ways of knowing."
Yuri Fulmer—Conservative Party of British Columbia
Yuri Fulmer, of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, called reconciliation "one of the biggest opportunities that affects all of us today."
"We have an opportunity to make meaningful advances in our work with First Nations' communities," he said.
"It is unacceptable that [for] successive governments for generations, we have [had] entire Indigenous communities in British Columbia, where the entire community lives below the poverty line."
He said that there has been enough discussion about reconciling, and now action is needed.
"What we need is reconciliation not to be about talk, not to be about a group of settlers sitting around contemplating how they can feel better about themselves. We need to make Indigenous communities more financially prosperous."
He added that self determination comes at a cost, and the government has a role in helping Indigenous communities and their members to be more prosperous.
"So the community itself is financially independent and when we share the wealth that is British Columbia with our First Nations. That is what real reconciliation is about. It is not about talk. We have talked a lot about this. It is time for action."
Jen Ford—BC NDP
Jen Ford of the BC NDP spoke of her experience of engagement with First Nations while also taking a shot at the Conservative Party leader.
"I have had an incredible experience of working with the Líĺwat Nation, and the Samahquam Nation at an annual event called Nuk̓w7ántwal̓. And Nuk̓w7ántwal̓ means we hold each other up. And this is not just words," she said. "This is real action where communities come together, and we talk, and we listen, and most importantly ... we have to put the truth first. We have to listen to the truth and then to put real action into our reconciliation," she said.
"We've seen what other governments would like to do. John Rustad, on Feb. 1, called for a repeal of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). We can't afford that. We have to work with our neighbours. We have to, and I wanted to, work with our First Nations neighbours, and we're very lucky that we have that here in British Columbia."
The debate was hosted by the Squamish Chamber, Tourism Squamish, and the Downtown Squamish BIA.
Here’s more of what the candidates had to say at the meeting.
