“The Gitxaała ruling and the Cowichan ruling are the same thing - both caused by DRIPA.”
David Eby / multiple politicians, Various media
Premier of BC / various · Mar 2026
These are completely different cases. The Cowichan case was filed in 2014 - five years before DRIPA - and rests on Section 35 constitutional Aboriginal title rights. The Gitxaała case is about whether DRIPA's interpretive provisions (Section 8.1 of the Interpretation Act, added in 2021) give UNDRIP 'immediate legal effect.' Former Green MLA Adam Olsen accused Premier Eby of 'seemingly intentionally winding the Cowichan and Gitxaała decisions into the same ball and saying it's all one big problem.' The FNLC called linking the two cases 'highly damaging misinformation.'
British Columbia Court of Appeal · 2025-12-05[2025 BCCA 430]
Supreme Court of British Columbia · Justice Barbara Young · 2025-08-07
First Nations Leadership Council · 2026-02-05
The Tyee · Adam Olsen · 2026-03-12
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First published: April 1, 2026