A BC Resource Sector Coalition says current federal and provincial policymaking has become unpredictable enough to justify an immediate pause on all implementation and action under Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).
In a letter addressed to BC Premier David Eby and Prime Minister Mark Carney, the coalition said it speaks for “thousands of British Columbians” tied to forestry, mining, energy, fisheries, agriculture, and tourism, and framed the push as “Made in BC: The Prescription for a Strong BC Resource Economy.”
“We write to you on behalf of thousands of British Columbians whose livelihoods, communities, and futures are tied to the natural resource sector. Today, those livelihoods are at risk,” the letter begins. “A series of federal and provincial policy decisions have destabilized the industries that sustain our province and are eroding the economic foundations of British Columbia.”
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Rather than anchoring its case to a single project or permit fight, the coalition framed DRIPA’s rollout as part of a broader policy stack that is amplifying knock-on effects across the economy. In its telling, uncertainty at the front end of resource development does not stop at the worksite. It travels through supply chains and service layers, hitting contractors, local retailers, and small business owners, and ultimately constrains the provincial revenues that fund public programs.
The coalition argued that the current environment has crossed from “tough” into “unworkable” because multiple initiatives are advancing at once without consistent sequencing, clarity, or transparency. It grouped DRIPA alongside UN 30×30 targets, Marine Protected Areas, Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, and a proposed Heritage Conservation Act, and said the combined effect is to slow permitting, chill investment, and make outcomes harder to predict for communities and proponents trying to plan.
On the marine side, the coalition pointed to one specific metric to support its call for a pause-and-assess approach. It said BC has already conserved 35% of its marine areas, citing federal reporting by Environment and Climate Change Canada in 2024, yet governments are still pushing additional MPAs without, in the coalition’s view, demonstrating need or clearly laying out the economic and operational impacts on fisheries, coastal communities, and marine-based businesses.
It also tied the pause request to rising legal and tenure uncertainty. Citing “recent court decisions,” including the Cowichan title ruling, the coalition said unclear land ownership, tenure rights, and downstream implications for development are creating new risk not only for industry, but also for First Nations that participate directly in resource projects and rely on predictable rules to sustain those partnerships.
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In the coalition’s framing, DRIPA’s implementation has become a legitimacy and governance problem as much as a policy one. It said the process is “dividing communities,” putting First Nations in conflict with other First Nations, and leaving municipalities, citizens, and local businesses without a credible avenue to participate, particularly when government-to-government agreements are negotiated behind closed doors and disclosed only after the fact.
No financial figures were provided to quantify the revenue exposure, investment flight, or job losses. The letter uses categorical statements like “investment is leaving” and “jobs are disappearing,” without listing counts, dollar amounts, or sector-by-sector deltas.
The coalition’s five-point prescription called for transparency on legislation, policy, and agreements affecting land use, marine use, tenure rights, and economic activity, and demanded “meaningful participation” from First Nations, communities, local governments, industry, and workers. It also called for streamlined permitting to restore predictability and for economic impact assessments to accompany major conservation and land-use proposals.
Its most direct ask was a DRIPA stop order: “Immediately pause all implementation and action occurring under DRIPA,” followed by a review and amendments to ensure full participation and clearer communication of the breadth of changes being made.
It also called for costs and benefits to be “distributed fairly,” with “proper and timely compensation” where economic loss occurs.
The coalition is composed of a cross-industry membership spanning land and marine activity: BCCA, Geoduck Underwater Harvesters Association, ICBA, Deep Sea Trawlers Association of BC, Guide Outfitters Association of British Columbia, Pacific Prawn Fishermen’s Association, North West Loggers Association, and the Council of Marine Carriers.
The letter was copied to Leader of the Opposition Pierre Poilievre and Leader of the BC Opposition John Rustad.
DRIPA, passed in 2019, is the province’s framework for aligning BC laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples through an action plan, regular reporting, and the ability to enter agreements with Indigenous governing bodies on implementing UNDRIP-related measures.
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