Nuchatlaht Intervenes in SCC HMTQ V RICHARD LEE DESAUTEL
Nuchatlaht Intervenes in SCC HMTQ V RICHARD LEE DESAUTEL
Nuchatlaht intervened in the Desautel case to resist BC’s argument about abandonment. The Nuchatlaht did not abandon their territory. They were forced off their land by colonial and provincial laws, and the Nuchatlaht have common cause with the Sinixt on that point. With the 2019 statute “The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act”, BC is required to take positions that are in alignment with UNDRIP. Nuchatlaht said that BC’s abandonment position is not only legally wrong, but in light of UNDRIP it is wrong for BC to be even saying that.
You can watch Jack Woodward speak at the Supreme Court of Canada by clicking here.