New Agreements Expand The Implementation Of Section 7 Under DRIPA

Over the past year the Province of British Columbia and Indigenous Nations have completed a number of new agreements under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). In particular, two new agreements under Section 7 of DRIPA (the Section 7 Agreements) highlight changes in how the Province is approaching implementation of Section 7 Agreements, both with respect to the territorial scope and the content of the decision-making processes under each agreement.

On December 15, 2025, the ‘Namgis First Nation (‘Namgis) entered the ‘Namgis First Nation – British Columbia Decision-making Agreement with the Province (the ‘Namgis Agreement). The ‘Nagmis Agreement establishes a joint decision-making process between the ‘Namgis and the Province concerning certain forestry decisions within ‘Namgis territory, whereby decisions that fall under the agreement must be made mutually.