Premier David Eby's "Real People" Comments are Shameful!

British Columbians deserve unity and justice, not division and scapegoating!

“Building up Surrey with 1,000 new student seats on the way”, Province of British Columbia Flickr, Licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Premier David Eby's recent comments are not just sobering, they are shameful. In dismissing the Aboriginal and treaty rights that have been repeatedly affirmed by the courts, positioning them as a threat to "real people... the homeowners, the business owners, who will be affected by this decision," he targets and dehumanizes Indigenous people.

In case you thought he misspoke, Premier Eby appears to double down, "I want the court to look into the eyes, metaphorically speaking, of the people who will be directly affected by this decision and understand the impact on certainty for business, for prosperity and for our negotiations with Indigenous people."

The Premier is a lawyer, he knows how the court system works. He knows he can't wave a wand and have these decisions on Aboriginal rights go away. He knows that is magical thinking.

British Columbians should know that the Cowichan Tribes v. Canada decision does not "upend our work" on Crown-Indigenous relations in British Columbia. It illustrates the injustice that Indigenous people and the Courts have been calling on the politicians to reconcile for decades. David Eby is the first Premier to have to look into the mirror and see the ugly reality that his predecessors avoided.

These are shameful and ignorant comments. They are inflammatory. They treat Aboriginal and treaty rights as a threat to the prosperity of the "real people". That bell cannot be unrung. Nevertheless, David Eby needs to apologize, and recommit to reconciliation as justice, not as risk management for the status quo.

If these comments are the result of Premier Eby "compiling talking points," as is suggested, they highlight that our Premier is in a dark place. In addition to attacking Aboriginal rights, he effortlessly pits taxpayers against the public service, and scapegoats immigrants, temporary foreign workers, and international students for causing poverty, food bank use, and housing shortages.

Congratulations Mr. Premier! You are resorting to pitting marginalized communities against each other, turning taxpayers against workers as if they are different people, all to deflect responsibility from yourself and your Cabinet.

At a time of real economic headwinds, British Columbians deserve leadership that unites us. Instead, we see a desperate Premier blaming everyone but the person he sees in the mirror.