Rolling back B.C.’s Indigenous rights framework threatens economic certainty and jobs, United Steelworkers warns

Press Release

February 13, 2026

BURNABY, B.C. – United Steelworkers union (USW) Director for Western Canada, Scott Lunny, is raising concerns about calls to amend or repeal the British Columbia government’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).

Director Lunny released the following statement:

“Resource sectors sustain working families across British Columbia. Those jobs depend on industry investment and that investment relies on certainty.

“Here in B.C., certainty has successfully depended on the stability that reconciliation provides. By putting durable frameworks in place and working collaboratively to advance responsible development, we are able to build the certainty on which major projects depend. That is how we build prosperity that benefits every British Columbian.

“The United Steelworkers union is deeply concerned about calls to amend or repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. While discussion, shared decision-making and negotiated agreements may take work, this work reduces the risk of costly conflict that can stall development and derail progress.

“We’ve seen this work in practice. Joint decision-making agreements with the Tahltan, ‘Namgis and Nlaka’pamux Nations created clearer pathways for mining projects and forestry operations. That level of clarity protects workers, timelines and paycheques for the long term.

“Economic growth depends on stable investment, stable employment and reliable public revenues that provide the services that are vital to communities across B.C. Continuing the path to reconciliation is essential to achieving this stability.”

About the United Steelworkers union
The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.

Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of the union’s strong track record in creating healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits and pensions.

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