Former B.C. cabinet minister Dr. George Abbott will deliver a public talk at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) about how historic injustices against Indigenous Peoples in B.C. continue to shape the province today.
A KPU Provost Presents talk, Abbott will present “The Roots of Discord: Lessons from Our Colonial Past” on Oct. 6 at KPU Surrey.
Abbott is Chief Commissioner at the B.C. Treaty Commission and an adjunct professor in political science at University of Victoria. A former MLA who represented Shuswap for 17 years, Abbott served in several cabinet positions, including Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation.
His recent book, Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now explores how and why B.C.’s history of Indigenous relations unfolded as it did.
“Contemporary challenges in Indigenous relations flow directly from deliberate public policy choices made by late colonial and early provincial governments in British Columbia,” he says. “Although those policy choices reflected the dominant beliefs and attitudes of the period, they did not go unchallenged. B.C.’s approach to vital Indigenous relations questions was a product of deliberate decisions, not of historical accidents.”
Abbott’s book focuses on two key features of the persistence of colonial policies and prejudices from the 1850s until today. The first is B.C.’s insistence on the creation of reserves smaller than those established by Canada east of the Rocky Mountains. The second is the near absence of treaties, or even treaty discussions.
Consequently, much of B.C. remains unceded territory.
Abbott says the retirement of Governor James Douglas in 1864 was a pivotal moment, as his reforms — relatively generous reserves, Indigenous rights to pre-emption of lands and support for treaty — were systematically undone by his successors.
“The often racist views of his successors held sway in the negotiations preceding B.C.’s union with Canada in 1871, and continued to shape B.C.’s approach to Indigenous relations for over a century afterward. Acceptance of treaty-making in 1991 followed key Supreme Court of Canada decisions in the 1970s and 1980s. Those legal decisions fostered a growing recognition that we bear responsibility, morally as well as legally, for public policies of the past.”
Treaties are vital to reconciliation, but are not embraced by all First Nations, notes Abbott.
“We need multiple, sustainable paths to reconciliation,” he says. “We have much to learn on our long journey to reconciliation.”
“The Roots of Discord: Lessons from Our Colonial Past” takes place Tuesday, Oct. 6 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the Spruce Atrium at KPU Surrey, 12666 72 Ave. The event is open to everyone, including the general public. The event is open to all KPU students and employees, and the general public. Guests are asked to register in advance.
