With tariffs and other political threats, we must remember ‘Canada’ was built on a foundation of Indigenous title, write Jody Wilson-Raybould and Christine Boyle
BY JODY WILSON-RAYBOULD & CHRISTINE BOYLE ● FIRST PERSON ● APRIL 18, 2025
A “Canadian” flag was hung over the B.C. Legislature in March in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Photo: B.C government
These days, our public discourse is filled with the word “sovereignty.”
There is a surge of pride in our province, and country, and renewed expressions of Canada’s strength as a nation.
Of course, this focus on our sovereignty has risen more to the surface because of threats — from the United States in particular, but also from other intrusions such as foreign interference in our politics.
Being clear and constant in expressing who we are is important as we face these threats.
But something else — something wrong-headed and demonstrably ignorant of the history of this province and country — has also been creeping into this discourse: the idea that Indigenous sovereignty is also somehow a threat, comparable to that of the United States or foreign interference.
One member of the B.C. Legislative Assembly made destructive and harmful statements about the residential “school” system and children who never returned home — even tabling a motion in the legislature that positions “unilateral assertions of sovereignty by Indigenous bands” as a threat.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Indigenous sovereignty is ingrained in the DNA of British Columbia and Canada and is an essential foundation upon which this country was built.
This is reflected in how Indigenous sovereignty is woven throughout our constitutional architecture, including the imperative of reconciliation, in which each and every one of us has a role to play.
The work of upholding that foundation of Indigenous sovereignty is fundamental to the strength of our country as we confront the challenges we face from the United States and beyond.
Treaties laid the foundation of ‘Canada’
When Europeans came to these lands now known as Canada, they encountered Indigenous peoples who occupied and governed over their territories.
In other words, they encountered peoples who were sovereigns.
As Europeans expanded their presence — including asserting British Crown sovereignty over these lands — they recognized that, under the British Common Law, they needed to deal with the reality of Indigenous sovereignty.
This need was expressed in a whole range of ways. Most well-known was the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which affirmed protections for Indigenous Peoples and lands — even as it established an administrative structure for settlers — and the need for Indigenous consent to take up land.
The Royal Proclamation is an original foundation for treaty-making that has existed for hundreds of years, and continues in British Columbia today.
Treaties are understood as being a mechanism for reconciliation between sovereigns — solemn instruments that recorded understandings about lands and relations between peoples, intended to last for generations.
Indigenous sovereignty is not just some historic relic that was grappled with at the time this country was formed. It remains with us in profoundly resonant and fundamental ways today.
The rights and title of Indigenous peoples have been affirmed time and again by the Supreme Court of Canada. Section 35 of our constitution recognizes that Indigenous peoples held prior sovereignty over their territories before the Crown asserted its sovereignty.
This is all to say that the issue of Indigenous sovereignty has never been a threat to Canada. Rather, it is an essential foundation on which this country and province are built.
A failure to acknowledge Indigenous sovereignty
Throughout much of the country’s history, we veered away from and ignored how Indigenous sovereignty was fundamental to the country’s founding. The impacts of this failure have been devastating for Indigenous people.
But what is not well-understood is that ignoring Indigenous sovereignty has also done tremendous harm to British Columbia and Canada. Indeed, it makes it harder for us to respond to the real threats we face today, such as from the United States.
Our failure to reconcile sovereignty in the past has contributed to economic uncertainty, because we have not completed the unfinished business of structuring proper relations about how lands and resources will be used.
It has also left us vulnerable to weaknesses in our investment climate, and has created confusion about where and how decisions can and should be made.
At a time requiring quick and decisive action about economic, political and social imperatives, it has left us with overly complex and cumbersome processes that can impact our ability to respond quickly, effectively and consistently. We all share in this vulnerability.
A strong house needs a strong and stable foundation. Rising to the challenge of true reconciliation is about strengthening the foundation upon which Canada was built — a foundation that has some fissures because of how Indigenous sovereignty has been treated.
What we need today are leaders who rise to help secure that foundation in coherent, transparent, and constructive ways. Rather than fear-mongering and promoting ignorance of our shared history, we need to understand and embrace the true foundations of British Columbia and Canada, and respond to threats together.
Authors
JODY WILSON-RAYBOULD
Jody Wilson-Raybould (Puglaas) is an author, lawyer and the former minister of justice and attorney general of Canada. She is a member of the We Wai Kai Nation. Her most recent book is Reconciling History: A Story of Canada.
CHRISTINE BOYLE
Christine Boyle is the provincial minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. She is a former member of Vancouver city council, where she co-chaired a task force on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.
These days, our public discourse is filled with the word “sovereignty.”
There is a surge of pride in our province, and country, and renewed expressions of Canada’s strength as a nation.
Of course, this focus on our sovereignty has risen more to the surface because of threats — from the United States in particular, but also from other intrusions such as foreign interference in our politics.
Being clear and constant in expressing who we are is important as we face these threats.
But something else — something wrong-headed and demonstrably ignorant of the history of this province and country — has also been creeping into this discourse: the idea that Indigenous sovereignty is also somehow a threat, comparable to that of the United States or foreign interference.
One member of the B.C. Legislative Assembly made destructive and harmful statements about the residential “school” system and children who never returned home — even tabling a motion in the legislature that positions “unilateral assertions of sovereignty by Indigenous bands” as a threat.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Indigenous sovereignty is ingrained in the DNA of British Columbia and Canada and is an essential foundation upon which this country was built.
This is reflected in how Indigenous sovereignty is woven throughout our constitutional architecture, including the imperative of reconciliation, in which each and every one of us has a role to play.
The work of upholding that foundation of Indigenous sovereignty is fundamental to the strength of our country as we confront the challenges we face from the United States and beyond.
Treaties laid the foundation of ‘Canada’
When Europeans came to these lands now known as Canada, they encountered Indigenous peoples who occupied and governed over their territories.
In other words, they encountered peoples who were sovereigns.
As Europeans expanded their presence — including asserting British Crown sovereignty over these lands — they recognized that, under the British Common Law, they needed to deal with the reality of Indigenous sovereignty.
This need was expressed in a whole range of ways. Most well-known was the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which affirmed protections for Indigenous Peoples and lands — even as it established an administrative structure for settlers — and the need for Indigenous consent to take up land.
The Royal Proclamation is an original foundation for treaty-making that has existed for hundreds of years, and continues in British Columbia today.
Treaties are understood as being a mechanism for reconciliation between sovereigns — solemn instruments that recorded understandings about lands and relations between peoples, intended to last for generations.
Indigenous sovereignty is not just some historic relic that was grappled with at the time this country was formed. It remains with us in profoundly resonant and fundamental ways today.
The rights and title of Indigenous peoples have been affirmed time and again by the Supreme Court of Canada. Section 35 of our constitution recognizes that Indigenous peoples held prior sovereignty over their territories before the Crown asserted its sovereignty.
This is all to say that the issue of Indigenous sovereignty has never been a threat to Canada. Rather, it is an essential foundation on which this country and province are built.
A failure to acknowledge Indigenous sovereignty
Throughout much of the country’s history, we veered away from and ignored how Indigenous sovereignty was fundamental to the country’s founding. The impacts of this failure have been devastating for Indigenous people.
But what is not well-understood is that ignoring Indigenous sovereignty has also done tremendous harm to British Columbia and Canada. Indeed, it makes it harder for us to respond to the real threats we face today, such as from the United States.
Our failure to reconcile sovereignty in the past has contributed to economic uncertainty, because we have not completed the unfinished business of structuring proper relations about how lands and resources will be used.
It has also left us vulnerable to weaknesses in our investment climate, and has created confusion about where and how decisions can and should be made.
At a time requiring quick and decisive action about economic, political and social imperatives, it has left us with overly complex and cumbersome processes that can impact our ability to respond quickly, effectively and consistently. We all share in this vulnerability.
A strong house needs a strong and stable foundation. Rising to the challenge of true reconciliation is about strengthening the foundation upon which Canada was built — a foundation that has some fissures because of how Indigenous sovereignty has been treated.
What we need today are leaders who rise to help secure that foundation in coherent, transparent, and constructive ways. Rather than fear-mongering and promoting ignorance of our shared history, we need to understand and embrace the true foundations of British Columbia and Canada, and respond to threats together.
Authors
JODY WILSON-RAYBOULD
Jody Wilson-Raybould (Puglaas) is an author, lawyer and the former minister of justice and attorney general of Canada. She is a member of the We Wai Kai Nation. Her most recent book is Reconciling History: A Story of Canada.
CHRISTINE BOYLE
Christine Boyle is the provincial minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. She is a former member of Vancouver city council, where she co-chaired a task force on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.
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