A group of Indigenous leaders in British Columbia thanked the outgoing premier for his work in passing legislation affirming Indigenous rights and called on John Hogan’s successor to continue working towards reconciliation.
The statement from the Federation of British Columbia Indian Chiefs came as Hogan marked his final day as premier, with Premier-designate David Eby due to be sworn in Friday.
Union president Grand Chief Stewart Phillips said passage of the 2019 B.C. Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act would not have been possible without Hogan’s leadership.
Philip said he and other Indigenous leaders “like and fully support” Hogan as governor and “appreciate his ability to bring people together” and connect with Indigenous peoples.
The union “remains proud of the joint work accomplished” despite disagreement on some issues, such as expanding liquefied natural gas and protecting old trees, the statement said.
Hogan was first elected to the Legislative Council in 2005, was hailed as B.C.’s NDP leader in 2014, became premier in 2017 and won re-election in 2020. The following year he successfully beat a second cancer diagnosis and announced in June that he would step down as prime minister and leader but would continue as Langford-Juan de Fuca’s representative.
Aboriginal Peoples of the BC Legislature