'Everything is at risk': Richmond MLA slams BC NDP over Aboriginal title fallout | Daily Hive

'Everything is at risk': Richmond MLA slams BC NDP over 'inadequate' response to Cowichan ruling impacting homeowners

Teresa Wat. (Government of BC)

BC Conservative MLA Teresa Wat delivered a fiery speech in the legislature in Victoria on Monday, accusing Premier David Eby and his BC NDP-led provincial government of failing to provide leadership and clarity following a controversial court ruling that recognized Aboriginal title over private and public lands in southeast Richmond.

Wat, who represents the riding of Richmond-Bridgeport, said her constituents have been “left anxious and afraid” after receiving letters from the City of Richmond informing them that Aboriginal title has been declared on their land. She described the growing confusion among homeowners and businesses as a crisis of confidence that threatens the province’s economic stability.

“Imagine reading those words and wondering whether the home you have worked your whole life to own is still truly yours. That is what is happening right now in my community,” Wat told the legislature. “Homeowners are worried, business owners are uncertain, families are asking one simple question — what happens to us now?”

You might also like:

Wat criticized Premier Eby for reacting too slowly to the situation, noting that his public response only came after Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie wrote directly to residents to explain the implications of the court decision siding with the Cowichan Tribes.

“It should not take a letter from a Mayor to prompt the Premier to reassure British Columbians about the security of their homes. Leadership means anticipating uncertainty, not reacting to it,” she said.

The court ruling, which found that Aboriginal title may co-exist with private ownership, has cast doubt on long-held assumptions about land rights in B.C.

Wat pointed to an industrial park in Richmond — home to major employers like Coca-Cola, Canadian Tide, and Wayfair — that now sits on land declared under Aboriginal title, warning that “this uncertainty cannot last for years while appeals move through the courts.”

Wat urged the provincial government to work with federal government to refer the case directly to the Supreme Court of Canada, calling for “a clear and final answer” on whether Aboriginal title and private property can legally co-exist.

“When people doubt the security of their homes or the durability of their investment, everything is at risk,” she said.

“British Columbians deserve a clear and final answer on whether Aboriginal title and private property can legally co-exist and what that means for the land they already own.”

Last week, BC Conservative leader John Rustad also proposed all negotiations with First Nations should be suspended until the country’s top court can provide clarity on whether Aboriginal title can coexist with private property rights.

There are concerns that the Cowichan Tribes ruling in August 2025, along with the more recent Haida First Nation ruling in September 2025, sets precedent for Aboriginal title to trump private and public lands elsewhere in B.C. and Canada.

During her speech in the legislature, Wat also condemned the silence of Kelly Greene, the BC NDP MLA for Richmond-Stevenson, who serves as a cabinet minister, accusing her of failing to speak up for her constituents amid widespread fear and confusion.

Wat, who immigrated from Hong Kong to Canada in the late 1980s, connected the issue to her personal experience with property ownership — contrasting Canada’s promise of permanence with the uncertainty of Hong Kong’s land leases.

“When I bought my home here in Canada, I felt immense relief knowing that this property was mine forever,” she said. “But today, as I listen to the fears in my community, I worry they are moving backwards toward that same uncertainty I once left behind.”

Invoking a Chinese proverb — 安居樂業 (ān jū lè yè), meaning “to live in peace and work happily” — Wat said Premier Eby must act immediately “to restore confidence” and reaffirm that property ownership in B.C. remains secure.

“People should not live in doubt about something so fundamental,” she concluded. “That peace is being tested now. The Premier must act immediately to restore confidence.”

The BC Conservatives are using the escalating controversy to question the BC NDP’s handling of Indigenous relations and property rights, framing it as a test of leadership and public confidence in land ownership and the common good across the province.

There have also been accusations that the provincial government’s lawyers — following the directives of political leadership — were restricted in what they could argue in court, suggesting the BC NDP did not fully contest the claims, specifically raising certain defences or challenge Aboriginal title as forcefully as other parties.

The City, the provincial government, and the Musqueam First Nation have announced they will appeal the court’s decision.

From the outset, the Vancouver Island-based Cowichan Tribes sought an area of 1,846 acres in southeast Richmond on the Fraser River to be designated under their Aboriginal title. Although trial judge Justice Young deemed about 40 per cent of this area to be under Aboriginal title, the Cowichan Tribes are launching their own appeal process to expand the declared Aboriginal title area that covers the entire green area in the land claim map — all 1,846 acres, an area equivalent to nearly twice the size of Vancouver’s Stanley Park, instead of 732 acres.

The City of Richmond is hosting a public information session this evening, particularly for residents and other property owners within the affected area. This also coincides with a rally by concerned property owners and residents.

richmond cowichan tribes aboriginal title

City of Richmond

You might also like: