VICTORIA, BC, April 15, 2026 /CNW/ - Nine Allied Tribes (NAT) and Lax Kw'alaams Band (LKB) continue to call on Premier Eby and his current government to immediately pause the proposed Kitselas treaty legislation and complete meaningful consultation to address serious legal and reconciliation concerns.

NAT and LKB support Indigenous self-determination and the right of all First Nations to pursue treaties within their own territories. However, the current Kitselas treaty, as structured and proposed by the Eby government, threatens economic certainty, private landowners, and the public interest.

The proposed Kitselas treaty would impact over 90 percent of NAT and LKB title and ancestral rights, without full consultation, accommodation, or consent. This approach undermines long-standing Tsimshian laws, evidence of territorial boundary agreements, and relationships between neighbouring Nations.

NAT and LKB consistently raised concerns with the Government of British Columbia about the proposed treaty's impacts as early as around 2013; however, their extensive record of correspondence reveals an ongoing disregard by the Government of British Columbia representatives. If the province proceeds, NAT and LKB expect their leaders to take every legal, peaceful, and public step to defend the title and ancestral rights of their present and future generations.

Yesterday, Eby and Minister Herbert introduced Bill 20: K'ómoks Treaty Act, claiming it provides "certainty." The Wei Wai Kum First Nation has raised serious concerns about the impacts the bill will have on its core territory, calling for a pause to the bill. Wei Wai Kum First Nation and the NAT and LKB have observed eerily similar Government of British Columbia disregard of extensive and repeated expression of unresolved fundamental concerns, all of which could have been resolved by Eby's government before advancing these treaty proposals to the legislature.

As such, NAT and LKB stand in alignment with Wei Wai Kum First Nation in calling for Premier Eby to immediately pause these treaty bills, which threaten economic certainty, private landowners, and the public interest, until threats are resolved and legal duties and obligations to NAT and LKB are resolved.

Moving forward without resolving these issues would undermine reconciliation; impose uncertainty for economic development, including in the Port of Prince Rupert and connected critical east to west coast rail corridor; and set an alarming precedent and disruption to generational Indigenous boundary agreements in British Columbia.

A delegation from the NAT and LKB is currently in Victoria to implore Members of the Legislative Assembly to advance a path forward grounded in the public interests, mutual respect through proper process, and halting breach of government legal duties and obligations.

The NAT and LKB ask is clear: Eby must pause this legislation, complete meaningful consultation, adequately accommodate NAT and LKB, and fix the fundamental issues before proceeding.

On April 15, 2026, Nine Allied Tribes hereditary leader and spokesperson, Stan Dennis Jr. stated:

"The Nine Allied Tribes have held our inherent rights and title since the dawn of time, and we have never ceded or surrendered our title and territory or relinquished our inherent rights to any government or surrounding First Nation. We have a consultation protocol agreement with the Government of British Columbia, and we hold this protocol with the utmost seriousness, and we call on the Government of British Columbia to do the same."

"The Government of British Columbia admitted they prioritize treaty First Nations over us, but we demand mutual respect and benefit. We need the Government of British Columbia and of the Legislative Assembly to take action to ensure fairness of opportunity respecting our rights."

On April 15, 2026, Garry Reece, elected Mayor of Lax Kw'alaams, stated:

"Under Tsimshian and Canadian law, the Government of British Columbia and our Tsimshian neighbours cannot pass treaty legislation without full meaningful consultation and accommodation and obtaining our full consent – this has not happened yet."

"Above all, our Nine Allied Tribes and elected leaders will take every legal, peaceful, and public step necessary to defend our territory, inherent rights and title, and ancestral birthrights of present and future generations of our Nine Allied Tribes and Lax Kw'alaams people."

On April 15, 2026, Art Sterritt, former President of the now dissolved Tsimshian Tribal Council, stated:

"Tsimshian First Nations need to return to the mutual respect and agreement on territorial boundaries they agreed to during the Tsimshian Tribal Council era..."

SOURCE Lax Kw’alaams Band