This article is part of a series on
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
First Nations · Inuit · Métis
History Paleo-Indians Integration  · Conflicts First Nation  · Inuit
Politics Crown and aboriginals Treaties  · Health Policy Royal Commission Indian Act · Politics Organizations · Case law Indian Affairs Canada
Culture Notable Aboriginals Aboriginal cultures
Demographics Genetics AB  · Atlantic CA  · BC MB  · ON  · QC  · SK Territories  · Pacific Coast
Linguistics Aboriginal languages Inuit language Indigenous Languages Aboriginal syllabics Inuit grammar
Religions Inuit mythology Traditional beliefs Traditional mythology
Index Index of articles Aboriginal · First Nations Inuit  · Métis · Stubs
Wikiprojects Portal Aboriginal Canadian portal WikiProject Indigenous North Americans First Nations Commons · Wiktionary Inuit Commons · Wiktionary Métis Commons · Wiktionary
v • d • e

The BC Treaty Referendum was a province-wide referendum on First Nations treaty rights in British Columbia, Canada.

In the spring of 2002 the Premier Gordon Campbell and the British Columbia Liberal Party government sent out ballots to registered voters in the province.^[1] The referendum proposed eight principles that voters were asked to either support or oppose:

[edit] Questions posed

1. Private property should not be expropriated for treaty settlements. (Yes/No)

2. The terms and conditions of leases and licences should be respected; fair compensation for unavoidable disruption of commercial interests should be ensured. (Yes/No)

3. Hunting, fishing and recreational opportunities on Crown land should be ensured for all British Columbians. (Yes/No)

4. Parks and protected areas should be maintained for the use and benefit of all British Columbians. (Yes/No)

5. Province-wide standards of resource management and environmental protection should continue to apply. (Yes/No)

6. Aboriginal self-government should have the characteristics of local government, with powers delegated from Canada and British Columbia. (Yes/No)

7. Treaties should include mechanisms for harmonizing land use planning between Aboriginal governments and neighbouring local governments. (Yes/No)

8. The existing tax exemptions for Aboriginal people should be phased out. (Yes/No)

Voters were also told that, for each principle, a Yes vote would compel the provincial government to adopt the principle in treaty negotiations, while a No vote would mean that the government was not bound to adopt the principle when taking part in treaty negotiations.

[edit] Outcome

Critics claimed that the phrasing of the referendum ballot was flawed. For example, the first principle, being phrased in the negative, may have confused some voters about which answer meant support. The fourth was written in such a positive way that a Yes response was virtually guaranteed. The eighth may have been misleading, since the tax-exemption for Status Indians is guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and cannot be altered by provincial governments. The impact of the referendum on treaty negotiations was also unclear, since the government did not indicate what level of support for each principle would be enough to make it binding, or whether any of the principles might still be taken into account by the government even if they had been rejected by some or most voters.

The government called the referendum "an experiment in direct democracy," but the polling expert Angus Reid (co-founder of Ipsos-Reid) called it "one of the most amateurish, one-sided attempts to gauge the public will that I have seen in my professional career."^[1] Critics called for a boycott of the referendum and First Nations groups collected as many ballots as possible so that they might be destroyed publicly. The boycott was backed by the Anglican Anglican Church, the United Church, the Presbytery of New Westminster, the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Canadian Muslim Federation, the BC Federation of Labour, the Council of Senior Citizens and the David Suzuki Foundation.

Only about one third of the ballots were returned to the government by the deadline of May 15.^[1] Over 80 per cent of those ballots indicated agreement with all eight principles.

[edit] See also

• Status of British Columbian First Nation Treaties

[edit] References

v • d • e Elections and referendums in British Columbia General elections 1871 · 1875 · 1878 · 1882 · 1886 · 1890 · 1894 · 1898 · 1900 · 1903 · 1907 · 1909 · 1912 · 1916 · 1920 · 1924 · 1928 · 1933 · 1937 · 1941 · 1945 · 1949 · 1952 · 1953 · 1956 · 1960 · 1963 · 1966 · 1969 · 1972 · 1975 · 1979 · 1983 · 1986 · 1991 · 1996 · 2001 · 2005 · 2009 · 2013 Referendums 1972 · 1991 · 2002 · 2005 · 2009

v • d • e   Canadian Aboriginal law Politics, law and legislation The Canadian Crown and Aboriginal peoples · Indian and Northern Affairs Canada · Canadian Indian residential school system · High Arctic relocation Aboriginal law Royal Proclamation of 1763 · Constitution Act, 1867 · Section Thirty-five of the Constitution Act, 1982 · Douglas Treaties · 1969 White Paper · Kelowna Accord Numbered Treaties · Indian Act · Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples · First Nations treaties in British Columbia · Indian Health Transfer Policy Case law Attorney General of Canada v. Lavell · R. v. Badger · Calder v. British Columbia (Attorney General) · Chippewas of Sarnia Band v. Canada (Attorney General) · Corbiere v. Canada (Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs) · Delgamuukw v. British Columbia · Native Women's Association of Canada v. Canada · Kruger and al. v. The Queen R. v. Marshall; R. v. Bernard · R. v. Marshall · Mitchell v. M.N.R. · Paul v. British Columbia · Paulette Caveat · Powley ruling · R. v. Drybones · R. v. Gladstone · R. v. Gonzales · R. v. Guerin R. v. Jim · R. v. Pamajewon · R. v. Sparrow · Re Eskimos  · St. Catherines Milling v. The Queen  · R. v. Van der Peet International rights & laws Definitions and identity of indigenous peoples · Declaration of Indigenous Peoples Rights  · United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues · Indigenous intellectual property Index of Aboriginal Canadian-related articles