IF THE MINISTER WON’T HEAR ME, SHE MUST HEAR YOU
Last month, I raised concerns about how the incorporation of Okanagan Falls has been stalled under the NDP government’s interpretation of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). Since then, I have met directly with the Minister responsible, and what I was told only deepens my concerns.
The Minister informed me that while I may request updates on the negotiations, I will not be allowed to participate directly, noting that this is considered standard practice in “government-to-government” negotiations. In other words, she is consciously choosing to exclude the elected MLA for Boundary-Similkameen. This means the NDP government believes it is better positioned to negotiate at a government-led, facilitated table behind closed doors — with representation coming from Vancouver-Little Mountain — rather than include the MLA chosen by local residents to represent them.
This is not how democracy is supposed to work.
Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples is an important and shared goal. Indigenous leaders are right to advocate for the interests of their members — that is what they were elected to do. The fault here does not lie with Indigenous communities. It lies with the NDP government for creating a process that fuels mistrust through secrecy and sidelines the voices of rural residents. Reconciliation and democracy are not competing values; they must work together. True reconciliation requires transparency, trust, and participation. It should strengthen relationships, not weaken them.
If the Minister insists that I cannot sit at the table, then she must come to Okanagan Falls and hear directly from the people she claims to represent. If she intends to speak for this community in negotiations, she must first listen — unfiltered — to their concerns and expectations.
I’ve listened to this community first-hand: they want accountability, local representation, and a transparent process. To suggest that urban politicians in Victoria or Vancouver know better than the people who live here is not just wrong — it is profoundly disconnected from reality.
I am therefore calling on the Minister to immediately schedule an open town hall meeting in Okanagan Falls. Residents deserve a voice in shaping their future. Refusing this invitation would only confirm what many already fear: that this government prefers backroom deals to honest dialogue with rural British Columbians.
When this process is complete, Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike will continue to live side by side as neighbours, co-workers, and friends. The residents of Okanagan Falls deserve a process that honours both their democratic choice and the principles of reconciliation. The NDP government’s current path is failing both.
The Minister owes the community a town hall in Okanagan Falls.
Okanagan Falls deserves a seat at the table. Join me in asking the Minister to host a town hall in our community and listen directly to residents.
