BC PULSE – Most believe Cowichan ruling may damage reconciliation

Three-in-five say B.C. government right to appeal decision, 12 per cent disagree

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By ANGUS REID INSTITUTE

October 30, 2025 – A recent B.C. Supreme Court decision recognizing Cowichan Nation land claims has ignited debate over reconciliation and property rights in the province.

 Lyackson First Nation chief Shana Thomas has called the ruling “a step toward Reconciliation – not a threat to it,” but new data from the non-profit Angus Institute finds British Columbians not so sure.

Three-in-five British Columbians believe the decision to affirm Aboriginal title rights over a portion of Richmond – including privately owned property – will harm the relationship between Indigenous groups and the rest of the province.

B.C. property owners are significantly more likely to feel this way (66%) than those who do not own property (48%). Just over half of past BC NDP voters also express this sentiment, as do nearly four-in-five past BC Conservative Party voters.

The ruling, which B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma says could have “significant unintended consequences for fee simple private property rights,” has been appealed by the provincial government, a decision that 61 per cent of B.C. residents say was the right move. One-in-eight (12%) say it was the wrong decision, while others are unsure (27%).

The survey also finds more than two-in-five (44%) residents believe Premier David Eby’s government is “too focused” on reconciliation. Others say the BC NDP is giving this issue the right amount of attention (27%) or not enough (13%), highlighting persistent divisions over how the province should move forward on Indigenous land rights.

Link to the poll here: www.angusreid.org/

Download .PDF with detailed tables, graphs and methodology.