A consequential year for Aboriginal law in British Columbia

A new lawsuit by a First Nation in Northern British Columbia is closing out a year in which the provincial government has struggled to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in the legislature and in the courts.

The Tsay Keh Dene filed a civil claim against the province in B.C. Supreme Court on Dec. 12, alleging that the province has been in secret talks with another First Nation that claims to be the modern successor to most of their traditional territories – roughly 3.2 million hectares in northeastern B.C.