Directives from BC AG on Civil Litigation involving Indigenous Peoples

Practice Point

Directives from BC AG on Civil Litigation involving Indigenous Peoples
22
Apr

April 22, 2022

TWENTY NEW LITIGATION DIRECTIVES for civil matters involving Indigenous Peoples in BC are set out in detail on the Government of BC website.

In its introduction, the 17-page document states that “[a]ll counsel must follow these Directives in the approaches, positions, and decisions taken on behalf of the Attorney General of British Columbia in civil litigation, including quasi-judicial proceedings involving Indigenous Peoples and their section 35 rights.”

An April 21, 2022 news release says that “[c]ore objectives of the directives are to prioritize and promote resolution, innovation and negotiated settlement, and to reduce the potential for litigation.”

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We acknowledge that the land on which we work is the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.