Indigenous communities remember John Horgan, 1st premier in Canada to enshrine UNDRIP into provincial law

Indigenous communities throughout B.C. are mourning the death of former premier John Horgan, a man who many knew long before he began his career in politics. 

Tsartlip First Nation Chief Don Tom said Horgan played lacrosse with his father, former chief Chris Tom, and he played basketball with and against many Nuu-chah-nulth members on Vancouver Island. 

"John Horgan went fishing with many of our members here in Tsartlip, here in the early 70s," he told CBC's All Points West host Jason D'Souza.  "We've known John for a long time."

But it was during his time in politics that he had the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the provincial government's relationship with Indigenous communities.

One of his most significant accomplishments during his time in office was the 2019 passing of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) — making B.C. the first province in Canada to enshrine the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into law. 

"We really can't overstate his role in recognizing the rights of First Nations people," said Heiltsuk Chief Marilyn Slett. "That has advanced and demonstrated the commitment to B.C. upholding our inherent title and rates. That was a big step."

The act uses UNDRIP as a framework for reconciliation, mandating the province to align laws with the U.N. declaration and ensuring minimum standards for Indigenous peoples' survival and sovereignty. 

DRIPA wasn't the only legislation Horgan helped bring in in support of Indigenous people: the Tŝilhqot'in Nation noted his involvement in the Gwets'en Nilt'i Pathway Agreement between the Tŝilhqot'in Nation and provincial and federal governments, which recognizes the First Nation's own governance, as well as Aboriginal title on Tŝilhqot'in territory. 

The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs said that in addition to DRIPA, Horgan created the Declaration Act Secretariat, led by Jessica Wood, who is from the Gitxsan and Tsimshian First Nations.

"In appointing Jessica Wood as deputy minister, Premier Horgan demonstrated his deep understanding of the need for First Nations voices in the highest levels of decision-making," said Slett, who is also secretary-treasurer for the UBCIC. 

However, First Nations and Horgan didn't always agree on the best way forward.

Daniel Sims, an associate professor in First Nations Studies at the University of Northern B.C., describes Horgan's legacy as "mixed."

He said Horgan inherited a lot of tough projects and situations when he became premier, including pipeline projects and the Site C Dam — the latter of which he had promised to stop but eventually ended up pushing through. 

"John Horgan, like a lot of other premiers in British Columbia, inherited a mess that goes back to the colonial period, and I think each in their own way contributed to trying to fix that mess," Sims said. "I think it's part of this longer legacy as B.C. tries to figure out what reconciliation means and what to do with the fact that Aboriginal title hasn't been dealt with in huge parts of this province."