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Tim Thielmann: The NDP's long history of sacrificing B.C. on the altar of Indigenous rights

NDP politicians have long used Aboriginal land claims to make British Columbians pay for yesterday’s colonial grievances

B.C. NDP candidate Niki Sharma’s 2018 tweet lamenting the “unbearable whiteness” of British Columbia’s elected leaders has circulated widely as the province heads into a snap election on Oct. 24. The comment was not an isolated slip. It reflect a longstanding NDP approach to the legal status of the province itself.

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NDP politicians have long used Aboriginal land claims to make British Columbians pay for yesterday’s colonial grievances. The story begins with the first land claim to test British Columbia’s legal foundations.

Tim Thielmann: The NDP's long history of sacrificing B.C. on the altar of Indigenous rights Back to video

It was launched by Frank Calder, who was not only a former chief of the Nisga’a but also an MLA who served with the NDP and its predecessor, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation. Calder’s claim failed. Three of seven justices found that while Aboriginal title existed, it had been extinguished in this case. A fourth judge dismissed the appeal on a procedural technicality.

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