B.C. moves to implement treaty with Kitselas First Nation in northwest

Premier David Eby (left) and B.C. Indigenous Relations Minister Spencer Chandra Herbert flank Kitselas First Nation Councillor Cyril Bennett-Nabess at an event marking the introduction of treaty enabling legislation on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at the legislature in Victoria. Photo by Government of British Columbia

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The Kitselas First Nation will receive ownership of more than 38 square kilometres of land, self-government over those lands and $148 million in one-time transfers and continued funding, in a treaty reached with B.C. and Canada.

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On Wednesday, after more than 30 years of negotiations, the B.C. government introduced legislation to implement the treaty, which kicks off the province’s ratification process.

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It’s the second treaty rolled out by the B.C. NDP government in as many days, and the sixth modern treaty to be reached in B.C.

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The Kitselas voted in favour of the treaty last year, and the federal government is expected to start its ratification process later this year.

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The treaty, which will provide the First Nation’s 746 members sweeping powers over their lands, could become effective by 2028.

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The Kitselas treaty, and another treaty with the K’ómoks on Vancouver Island that was introduced on Tuesday, are the first to reach the finish line in more than 10 years.

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“This treaty is not just a treaty for Kitselas, but it is a treaty for the province of British Columbia, a means of moving forward together,” Kitselas Councillor Cyril Bennett-Nabess said during a short ceremony with B.C. Premier David Eby before the legislation was tabled.

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“We look forward to the hard work ahead,” added Bennett-Nabess.

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Eby said the treaty helped bring long-standing injustices closer to resolution.

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“It’s long overdue,” he said.

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“This will bring certainty. This will bring opportunity. This will bring a future of healthy and strong community for the Kitselas people, but not just for the Kitselas, for the entire region and for our province,” added Eby.

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All but $20.4 million of the cash is being provided by Ottawa. The value of land in northwest B.C. provided by the province is pegged at $31 million.

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The introduction of legislation in B.C. to implement the two treaties comes as tensions have been rising in the province over the Eby government’s handling of First Nation issues.

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After the B.C. Court Supreme Court ruled in 2025 that the province’s open-entry mineral claims system was inconsistent with the B.C. government’s implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Eby said there would be changes to the laws implementing the U.N. declaration. Recently, the premier instead has promised to suspend key sections of B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act for three years to address legal uncertainty, which has angered First Nations leaders.

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There has also been an increase in public anxiety about reconciliation and legal uncertainty over Aboriginal land title following a 2025 B.C. Supreme Court decision that found the Cowichan Tribes held Aboriginal title to land in the City of Richmond, including privately held homes, farms and commercial lands. It was the first time a court had included private land as a remedy.