First Nations law professor Judith Sayers is criticizing the BC Liberals' election platform for focusing more on what the NDP has or hasn't done than what the Liberals will do for First Nations people.

Sayers, adjunct professor of law at the University of Victoria and past chief of the Hupacasath First Nation, posted a blog entry on the First Nations in British Columbia website yesterday examining the Liberals' platform for references to First Nations issues. She found more about the official opposition than B.C.'s first peoples.

"An overview of the platform shows me immediately that Adrian Dix and the NDP get top billing in this platform and they are mentioned so many times and First Nations people a whole lot less, yet it is the First Nations whose title and rights still exist and are constitutionally protected," reads her post.

In a previous blog post on the same site, Sayer listed her top seven election issues for First Nations people in the province: mega projects that could infringe on First Nations' land and rights; BC Hydro's "pull back" from the Standing Offers Program; revenue and benefits sharing; shared decision making between First Nations and government; reconciliation and the "new relationship"; heritage conservation, especially the removal of human remains and protecting sacred sites; and a new Water Act.

Most of the references to First Nations in the Liberal platform are related to industry and the economy, with nothing specific to education, jobs, training, and healthcare for First Nations -- although she does note a reference to jobs and training for northern Aboriginal people regarding Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) developments on page 12 of the platform.

There are no references to the protection of sacred sites or removal of human remains in areas slotted for development, such as became a concern last year when a Musqueam burial site was zoned for condo development; revenue sharing beyond the mining tax; and shared decision making. Sayers took particular issue with the phrase "work with First Nations" instead of consultation or accommodation with regards to LNG and pipeline proposals.

"I do not see a whole lot for First Nations unless you are located in areas of proposed development, especially LNG, which is exactly how the BC Liberals have been working with First Nations now," she said.

BC Liberal candidate Ida Chong, who served as minister of Aboriginal relations and reconciliation for seven months until the writ dropped this month, listed the signing of the country's first tripartite agreements on First Nations health and education, the creation of the Aboriginal Housing Management Association to manage off-reserve housing, and aboriginal education enhancement agreements signed in 53 of the province's 60 school districts.

Chong says her former ministry’s main priority is settling land treaties. But treaties take a long time.

"That's why in the meantime we have, as a government, introduced these interim measures that (Sayer) highlights some as only dealing with some of our resource developments," Chong told The Tyee, "it's where we are starting with in order to get economic opportunities happening in the First Nations community as quickly as we can."

It's that drive to sign treaties that resulted in criticism for the Liberals from the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA). Last week ONA issued a press release saying it was looking at "launching a comprehensive set of legal and political actions" against government in response to an April 9 announcement of an incremental treaty agreement with the Ktunaxa Nation for land they say is the ONA's.

"I have seen a lot of despicable actions by the Province over my decades as a leader of the Okanagan Nation. This action by the Clark Government is as bad as it gets. It reflects an arrogant pattern by this government in its dealings with First Nations of doing things out of pure political expedience," said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, ONA chair, in the release.

"This agreement was signed and announced by the Clark Government even though the most basic legal requirements are not being observed. They offended our People, and ignored our Title and Rights, simply so that the appearance of making progress with First Nations could be peddled prior to the election."

Chong says overlapping land claims are common. But she takes issue with the ONA's claim that government never met or consulted with them about the treaty.

"I have met the people in the ministry and they are constantly reaching out and meeting with First Nations, all those who are impacted and affected," she said.

"They may not have come to a final resolution, but I cannot see where the First Nations community would not have been asked to sit at a table: whether they wanted to, or came, or were able to or not, I don't have those statistics. But I know it is a practice of ministry staff to ensure that consultation is quite fulsome."

Sayers isn't stopping with the Liberals' platform, promising to examine other parties' platforms for references to First Nations issues, too. The NDP, which has yet to release an official platform document, has so far addressed First Nations solely by pledging an additional $1 million in funding to The First People's Cultural Council to help preserve Aboriginal languages, culture, and art.

There was a First Nations-related controversy however with the ousting of NDP candidate Dayleen Van Ryswyk in the Kelowna-Mission riding for derogatory online comments she made about aboriginal funding in 2009.

There are 37 references to First Nations in the BC Green Party's "Green Book 2013," including an entire section entitled "Valuing First Nations as Partners." There is no mention of First Nations or aboriginal issues in the BC Conservative's platform.

Katie Hyslop is part of the Tyee's election coverage team. She regularly reports on education and youth issues for The Tyee and Tyee Solution Society. Follow her on Twitter.