Negotiations

The Nation never signed a treaty with Canada. This means that the Nation asserts title, jurisdiction and stewardship of our territory of behalf of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm people. The Nation further asserted our rights in a Declaration of Economic Land Rights on December 18, 2020.

“Our inherent rights over our territory include the right to decide how our land will be used; the right to enjoy and occupy the land; the right to possess the land; the right to the economic benefits of the land; and the right to pro-actively use and manage the land. kʷikʷəƛ̓əm has the right to determine the conditions under which third parties may access or use our lands and resources. We have the right to grant or withhold free, prior and informed consent on any activity that may affect kʷikʷəƛ̓əm resources, rights, or title related to these resources.”

This declaration, along with the other rights that are affirmed in other documents, such as Section 35 of the Constitution of Canada and the BC Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People Act, are used by the Negotiations Department in our discussions with third parties.

Land Title Claim On February 9, 2016, the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation filed a Land Title Claim with the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The goal of the claim is to re-acquire (illegally transferred and seized) title to approximately 1% of the Nation’s traditional territory. This claim is ongoing. For information on the land title claim, click here.