OK, Lorne, You’ll Repeal DRIPA. Then What?

Conservative Party of BC interim leader Lorne Doerkson confirmed that if his party forms government, he would repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act as his top priority. Despite the many socio-economic issues facing British Columbia, DRIPA has been the primary focus of B.C. Conservative politicians for the past two years.

Saying that he would repeal DRIPA is the easiest part. Neither Doerkson nor any B.C. Conservative, for that matter, has clearly articulated what would come next.

Repealing DRIPA could not be the destination. It would have to be the first step, and the Conservatives have been so distracted by culture wars and “ purity tests ” in their race-to-the-bottom brand of politics that they have no idea what the second step is.

Their failure to develop even a modest Crown-Indigenous relations policy is not a path to certainty for British Columbia.

Doerkson has been the MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin since 2020. He must know the role the Tŝilhqot'in territory in his own riding played in defining the future of Aboriginal title in British Columbia. DRIPA was unanimously passed in the legislative assembly five years after the Supreme Court of Canada’s landmark decision recognizing Tŝilhqot'in title in 2014.

That Supreme Court decision doesn’t go away if DRIPA is repealed. Nor will any of the long line of court decisions before it: Calder ; Delgamuukw ; Haida ; Section 35 of the Constitution Act , which protects Aboriginal and treaty rights; or the federal United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act .

What would disappear would be the tools that, used well, help the province move forward together. Gone would be the structured process, the Crown-Indigenous alignment work and the Section 7 agreements , which “outline the processes for joint or consent-based statutory decision-making.”

If the Conservatives get their way, the result is more uncertainty, not less, and the courts once again become the default decision-maker.

For months, British Columbians have been told, by government and opposition parties alike, that investors need certainty.

The business community has expressed frustration. In a May 2026 survey done by the Business Council of BC, 98 per cent of its members said DRIPA is not “living up to its promise of creating investment certainty in B.C.” An equal percentage said they were “very concerned about DRIPA’s current implementation.” A majority said they supported repealing DRIPA.

However, it is important to understand what the business community asked for. Laura Jones, CEO of the Business Council of BC, said they want “durable reconciliation that protects the public interest, promotes prosperity, and helps close the socio-economic gaps still experienced by too many Indigenous people.” She stated clearly that the “desire to work with Indigenous communities to create prosperity for all remains strong.”

This is a call for a better way of implementing DRIPA. Repealing the act can’t deliver that. We know what effective implementation looks like when it works.