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Letter: Optimistic about Bill 41

Letters to the editor
By Letters to the editor
December 2nd, 2019

To The Editor:

Bill 41, the BC Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, is poised to pass (soon), having passed first and second reading with unanimous support. This is exceptionally good news for all of us.

The history of colonialism in BC is becoming more well known. It is clear that we new-comers have profited greatly from the enormous wealth generated by the people and ecosystems of these lands and waters, while the original inhabitants have suffered immeasurable losses. Bill 41 gives us the opportunity to make redress, as a society.

Bill 41 will assist Indigenous nations in the work that is already underway, rebuilding their cultures and languages. Critically, it provides legal basis for recognizing and supporting Indigenous peoples’ self-determination: the right to decide what happens on their homelands. Over time the economies and cultures here will look very different. I for one hope and trust they will be much more sustainable, and Bill 41 makes me feel much more optimistic about this.

Candace Batycki, Nelson, BC

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