VICTORIA, B.C. — Today, the B.C. Green caucus celebrates at the Parliament Buildings with the grade 4 students of ȽÁU,WELNEW Tribal School, who successfully lobbied the provincial government to restore the name of ȽÁU,WELNEW to John Dean Provincial Park

VICTORIA, B.C. - Sonia Furstenau, MLA for the Cowichan Valley and B.C. Green Caucus spokesperson for children and family development, welcomed dozens of residents from around the region to a town hall meeting in downtown Duncan Feb. 7 to discuss the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in care.

VICTORIA, B.C. – Adam Olsen, B.C. Green Party spokesperson for Indigenous relations and reconciliation, responded to the news that the Royal B.C. Museum has awarded grants to 21 First Nations communities to support ongoing repatriation efforts.

“Communities pursuing repatriation face substantive challenges. It can take several decades and hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring ancestors or culturally significant items home. It is often someone’s lifetime work and sometimes people pass away before it is completed. That needs to change,” said Olsen.

VICTORIA, B.C. – Sonia Furstenau, B.C. Green Party spokesperson for children and family development, welcomed the news that the federal government is providing funding for the Huu-ay-aht Social Services Project. The funding will support vital community services like pregnancy support and parenting education, hiring family and protection support workers, and developing opportunities for youth engagement and awareness.

“I am very hopeful that this funding will help keep more families together,” said Furstenau.

VICTORIA, B.C. – Adam Olsen, B.C. Green Party spokesperson for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation welcomed the government’s draft principles for the public service on relationships with Indigenous peoples. The shared support of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) calls to action and the Tsilhqot’in Supreme Court Decision is a foundational component of the Confidence and Supply Agreement (CASA) signed between the B.C. Greens and the B.C. NDP.

“I am pleased with the direction of this government on advancing relationships with Indigenous people in British Columbia,” said Olsen.

VICTORIA, B.C. - Adam Olsen, B.C. Green Party spokesperson for the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, today introduced the First Nations Heritage Protection and Conservation Act. Earlier versions of the Private Member’s Bill, which is aimed at protecting Indigenous sacred sites such as burial grounds and heritage objects, were introduced six times by former B.C. NDP MLA Maurine Karagianis.

 “This bill is a first step towards recognizing that Indigenous burial and sacred heritage sites should have the same respect and protection as non-indigenous cemeteries and sacred sites,” Olsen said.

VICTORIA, B.C. - Andrew Weaver, leader of the B.C. Green caucus, and Adam Olsen, B.C. Green caucus spokesperson for the Indigenous issues, issued the following statement in recognition of the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP).

I am disappointed at the racist comments made in an email by Pat Pimm, the MLA for Peace River North. As a former member of the British Columbia Cabinet, a B.C. Liberal caucus member and a member of the Select Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs, I am shocked that he would show such disrespect for the First Nations people of our province.

Media Release
For Immediate Release
May 12, 2014

Victoria, B.C. – In a letter to Hon. Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Interim-Leader of the B.C. Green Party asked the Minister to seek a more respectful resolution to a residential development approved for a recognized Coast Salish burial site and designated archaeological site on Grace Islet (Salt Spring Island.)