VICTORIA – A bill in British Columbia’s legislature to prevent publicly funded employees from making Indigenous land acknowledgements failed to pass first reading, but reveals a schism between provincial Conservative members.
The bill proposed by One BC’s Dallas Brodie would have prohibited what it calls acknowledgements that “deny sovereignty of the Crown” and “attribute collective guilt based on race, ancestry or actions of Canadian historical figures.”
Most members of the legislature voted against it, but Conservatives Heather Maahs and Harman Bhangu joined Brodie and Tara Armstrong, also of One BC, as well as Independent Jordan Kealy in voting for the proposed legislation.
Conservative House Leader A’aliya Warbus, who is Indigenous, said after the vote that it “does not hurt anybody” to make the territorial acknowledgements and B.C. and Canada can’t move forward with reconciliation if Indigenous history is denied.
Warbus, who was visibly emotional when she spoke to the media after the vote, said Thursday that she “has lived with racism” her entire life, which “remains alive and well.”
Warbus said the Conservative vote on the bill was not whipped and the “bulk” of her party and caucus supports free speech, which this bill would have “completely” obliterated.
Indigenous Relations Minister Spencer Chandra Herbert said he was glad that most members voted against the bill, which he called a case of “hate, pure and simple” coming from a party that “trades in conspiracy theories.”
Chandra Herbert said that he feels for Warbus, who received a hug from NDP member Brittny Anderson outside the legislature’s main chamber before she faced reporters.
Brodie was kicked out of the Conservative caucus earlier this year for comments about residential school survivors and she introduced the bill on Thursday by saying the acknowledgements were the “anthem of a suicidal nation.”
She said the land acknowledgements are a “grooming exercise to encourage British Columbians to acquiesce into the surrender of their own land and accept that they do not have power over their own resources in this province.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2025.
