B.C. First Nation members vote in favour of treaty, moving toward self-governance

Spencer Chandra Herbert speaks during a news conference in Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday July 20, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

 First Nation from the northwest coast of British Columbia has voted in favour of a constitution and a treaty that it says opens a path to a new era of self-government. 

The Kitsumkalum First Nation, located west of Terrace, B.C., says 89 per cent of voters approved of the constitution while about 90 per cent supported the treaty.

Elected chief councillor Troy Sam called it a “proud day,” adding in a statement that the approvals “open the door to a new era of self-government, accountability, and opportunity.”

The Kitsumkalum Nation has a population of about 825 members, and its territory spans the Skeena Region from Terrace to Prince Rupert. 

Melissa Quocksister, communications and engagement consultant for the Kitsumkalum Treaty, says the vote allows the community to take advantage of its inherent right to self-government, and members will no longer be dictated by the Indian Act. 

The Kitsumkalum Nation’s website says self-governance will move the community away from the Indian Act, giving them the right to make laws, similar to the laws that provinces are able to make.

“The Indian Act was developed to control almost every aspect of Native life and continues to dictate the way Native people are governed on-reserve,” the website states in a section that answers questions about the treaty. 

“The Canadian Government passed the Indian Act in 1876 without consulting or getting consent from Native people,” it adds.

The website says the treaty will provide full ownership of large amounts of lands, greater access to resources, continued access to traditional territory, as well as newer and better fiscal arrangements including a cash transfer.

It will now need to be ratified by the provincial and federal governments to go into effect, which Spencer Chandra Herbert, the province’s minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation, says requires the B.C. legislature and Canadian Parliament each passing treaty-implementation legislation. 

Herbert says he remains firmly committed to taking this path alongside the Kitsumkalum people.

The province says that if ratified by all parties, the Kitsumkalum Treaty is expected to have an effective date around 2028. 

Although the effective date hasn’t been set yet, Quocksister says they still have lots of preparation work to do during the transition period, including drafting laws and ensuring all members are ready to take on new responsibilities. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2025. 

This is a corrected story. A previous version incorrectly stated the loss of the Section 87 Tax Exemptions. In fact, the nation said it has successfully negotiated continuation of the Section 87 Tax Exemptions after the Treaty Effective Date. The sentence has been removed from the copy.