BC Kitselas Treaty Sparks Fierce Tsimshian Rights Dispute

LAX KW'ALAAMS, BC – April 13, 2026 – By Carol Thomas

A landmark treaty aimed at securing self-governance for the Kitselas First Nation is now at the center of a profound conflict, as neighboring Tsimshian groups accuse the British Columbia government of undermining reconciliation and trampling their inherent rights. The Lax Kw'alaams Band (LKB) and the Nine Allied Tribes (NAT) have launched a powerful public campaign demanding a halt to legislation that would enact the Kitselas treaty, warning of irreparable harm to their territory and dire economic uncertainty for the entire North Coast region.

In a press release issued Monday, the leadership of LKB and NAT stated they were “blindsided by eleventh-hour notice” of the government’s plan to proceed. They argue the proposed treaty, negotiated without their consent, contains fundamental flaws that threaten to create overlapping jurisdictions and legal chaos, putting the province’s reconciliation agenda to a severe test.

A Battle Over Boundaries and Rights

The core of the dispute lies in claims of territorial infringement. According to the Lax Kw'alaams Band and Nine Allied Tribes, the Kitselas treaty legislation would unlawfully extend Kitselas lands and rights deep into their traditional territories. They assert this directly violates long-standing Tsimshian law and historical boundary agreements.

Among their most critical concerns, they report the treaty would:
* Extend Kitselas treaty lands into LKB and NAT territory without their consent.
* Require the Crown to seek consent from Kitselas for economic development across a vast area that includes the vital Port of Prince Rupert.
* Create new harvesting rights for Kitselas within LKB and NAT territory, including on privately held land.

“The Nine Allied Tribes have held our inherent rights and title since the dawn of time, and we have never ceded or surrendered our title and territory,” said Stan Dennis Jr., a hereditary leader and spokesperson for the Nine Allied Tribes, in a statement. “We have a consultation protocol agreement with the Government of British Columbia, and we hold this protocol with the utmost seriousness, and we call on the Government of British Columbia to do the same.”

The groups claim the proposed treaty impacts over 90% of their territory and that the provincial government failed to meaningfully address their concerns or offer accommodation for the impacts on their rights. Lax Kw’alaams Mayor Garry Reece stressed the binding nature of Indigenous law in this matter.

“We have never changed our boundaries as agreed on record by all our Tsimshian neighbours,” Reece stated. “Under Tsimshian and Canadian law, the Government of British Columbia and our Tsimshian neighbours cannot pass treaty legislation without full consultation and accommodation, and obtaining our full consent – this has not happened yet.”

The Path to Kitselas Self-Governance

For the Kitselas First Nation, the treaty represents the culmination of a multi-generational effort to escape the confines of the federal Indian Act and restore self-determination. The nation has been in treaty negotiations since 1993, a process that saw them initial a final draft treaty with provincial and federal chief negotiators in June 2024. In a decisive vote in April 2025, Kitselas members overwhelmingly ratified the treaty with over 85% support.

The treaty is designed to transfer approximately 45,000 hectares of land to Kitselas ownership and provide the nation with law-making authority over its lands and people, along with significant financial components. It recognizes the nation’s traditional territory for harvesting and cultural practices and is seen by its proponents as a modern framework for prosperity and self-governance.

Following the ratification, Kitselas Chief Councillor Glenn Bennett called it a “historic day” that would allow the nation to grow its economy and become an equal partner in the region. The treaty itself is described as a “living agreement” informed by the principles of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), with mechanisms for review and amendment over time.

Economic and Legal Tremors

The dispute is sending tremors far beyond Indigenous governance, threatening to create significant legal and economic uncertainty across the North Coast. The allegation that the treaty could grant Kitselas consent rights over development in an area including the Port of Prince Rupert—a critical engine of the regional and national economy—has raised alarms in the business community.

This conflict unfolds against a complex legal backdrop in British Columbia, where Aboriginal title was never extinguished by historical treaties in most of the province. A recent, and controversial, 2025 BC Supreme Court decision that recognized Aboriginal title over privately owned land in Richmond has already heightened anxiety among property owners and investors. The LKB and NAT claim that the Kitselas treaty would create new harvesting rights on private land within their territory further fuels these concerns.

Art Sterritt, the former president of the now-dissolved Tsimshian Tribal Council, urged a return to past agreements to resolve the impasse. “Tsimshian First Nations need to return to the mutual respect and agreement on territorial boundaries they agreed to during the Tsimshian Tribal Council era,” he stated, noting that detailed maps from that time exist and could provide a path forward.

BC's Reconciliation Commitments Tested

This inter-nation Tsimshian dispute places the British Columbia government in an extremely difficult position, directly testing the integrity of its reconciliation framework. In 2019, the province passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), legally committing the government to align its laws with UNDRIP, which champions the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for any measures affecting Indigenous peoples and their lands.

The LKB and NAT accuse the government of a “glaring willful disregard” of its own policies by attempting to legislate a treaty over their explicit objections and without what they consider adequate consultation. While the province maintains that consultations with neighboring First Nations are ongoing, the perception of being “blindsided” has severely damaged the relationship.

The Lax Kw'alaams Band and Nine Allied Tribes have called upon Premier David Eby and Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Spencer Chandra Herbert to immediately pause the legislation. They have vowed to take “every legal, peaceful, and public step necessary” to defend their territory, promising to make their voices heard on the steps of the legislature in Victoria. This leaves the government facing a critical choice: proceed with a landmark treaty for one First Nation at the risk of alienating others and triggering years of legal challenges, or pause the process and risk unraveling a deal that was three decades in the making.