(Re)Defining Indigenous Economic Borders in British Columbia: An Examination of Forestry Revenue Sharing Policies in British Columbia

Astrid Niemann-Zajac | BIG Research Reports | #16

Throughout the past decade, the government of British Columbia (BC) has expressed a need for reconciliation and renewed positive relationships with Indigenous peoples in BC. However, rather than focusing on initiatives encouraging Indigenous resurgence, ‘reconciliation’ strategies are premised on the control and development of Indigenous territories and natural resources. Examples of efforts commonly thought of as geared towards reconciliation include modern day treaty agreements and self-government agreements. Recently though, the BC provincial government has made efforts toward renewing positive relationships in regards to revenue sharing agreements, particularly in the forestry industry. Forestry Consultation and Revenue Sharing Agreements (FCRSA) and Forestry Tenure Operation Agreements (FTOA) have been unilaterally developed by the Province with the hope of invoking the notion that Indigenous nations are being meaningfully consulted and fairly compensated for the timber that is being unjustly extracted and profited from, from unceded Indigenous territories. Signing one of these agreements forces Indigenous nations to concede to colonial notions of traditional territorial boundaries and provincial conditions for consultation and accommodation.

Astrid Niemann-Zajac