Indigenous People Call for Support as Trade War Hits

[Editor’s note: Place names in quotation marks in this piece reflect the style of the source publication, IndigiNews.]

Amidst a looming trade war, the “B.C.” government presented its latest budget last week, focused on safeguarding the provincial economy against U.S. tariffs.

But Indigenous leaders warned they are being excluded from measures to defend the province from the international threat, particularly when it comes to resource development plans.

“Any time that people are hurting through the economy, it’s really Indigenous people that feel the brunt,” Patrick Harriott, treasurer of the Métis Nation BC, told IndigiNews in an interview.

Premier David Eby opened a 2025 budget presentation on lək̓ʷəŋən territories this week flanked by graphics emblazoned with “Buy B.C.” and “Buy Canadian.”

His speech decried the Trump tariffs as well as the withdrawal of American military support to Ukraine.

“The president wants to hurt Canadians, he wants to hurt British Columbians,” Eby said. “Frankly, we have been betrayed.”

Although “British Columbia’s” export exposure of nearly 53 per cent to the “U.S.” is less than that of other provinces — nearly 40 percentage points less than “Alberta’s,” for instance — the province still expects a severe economic downturn from the tariffs being threatened by the country’s largest trading partner.

Economic disruptions such as tariffs “disproportionately impact vulnerable communities like Métis, First Nation, and urban Indigenous peoples and communities,” said the Métis Nation BC in a statement.

It added the latest budget “does little to support vulnerable communities through this trade war” and “also falls well short of the commitments made in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and our submission to meet these Métis-specific needs.”

Call for First Nations to be included

Many of the natural resources impacted by tariffs are part of treaty agreements with First Nations not only in “B.C.” but across “Canada.”

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak demanded action from “Canadian” premiers and the prime minister, who she said have been excluding Indigenous leaders from economic talks.

“Our lands hold vast deposits of critical minerals, forests, and freshwater supplies that sustain communities on both sides of the medicine line,” she said in a statement.

“That is why we are again calling for First Nations to be included in Team Canada discussions between first ministers. Let’s show President Trump you can still win by being inclusive, respecting rights, and honouring treaties.”

The budget also comes a month after the First Nations Leadership Council issued a statement denouncing the tariffs and urgently asking the province to protect First Nations people from any disproportionate economic impacts.

“First Nations will be undeniably and disproportionately impacted by the Trump tariffs in violation of our basic human rights,” said the Feb. 6 statement.

Robert Phillips, member of the First Nations Summit political executive, added that “economic opportunities and relief for First Nations must be prioritized and expedited as part of any planned response” to the trade war, and criticized Trump’s “imperialist aspirations” and their impact on Indigenous rights on both sides of the border.

First Nations forestry, resource agreements could be impacted

One of the key measures in “B.C.’s” 2025 budget is the advancement of forest landscape plans, or FLPs, which focus on sustainable forest management.

The initiative incorporates considerations such as climate change adaptation, old-growth conservation, species-at-risk protections, wildfire risk mitigation and watershed health.

As of January, there are 15 FLPs in progress, reflecting a shift toward more localized and inclusive forest governance.

While the budget signals progress in Indigenous partnerships, concerns remain within the forestry industry regarding declining timber harvest levels.

Forestry products are “B.C.’s” largest export, with nearly a quarter of the province’s exports coming from wood, pulp and paper products.

Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs could end up stacking with other previous tariffs and restrictions from the ongoing softwood lumber dispute, causing more economic loss in the forestry sector.

This would affect the many First Nations that engage in revenue sharing or other forestry agreements, such as the Cowichan Tribes or ʼNamgis First Nations, as well as nations that harvest through tenure agreements, such as the Klahoose First Nation.

Meanwhile, a news release from the Wilderness Committee critiqued the lack of protection for old-growth forest and the province’s repeated under-budgeting of wildfire management.

“It’s fairly clear that promises that the B.C. government has made in the past in terms of conservation are not a priority in this budget,” said Tobyn Neame, a forest campaigner.

Concern with lack of environmental measures was shared with another advocate, Sarah Korpan with Ecojustice.

“The fact of the matter is we don’t have the proper environmental legal protections in place to provide appropriate guardrails to guide this fast-tracking of mining projects and other types of environmentally damaging projects,” she said.

“I hope the B.C. government does not use the immediate struggle that folks are currently facing as an excuse to sidle away from their environmental commitments.”

More impacts to Indigenous communities

Other measures that impact Indigenous Peoples in this year’s financial plan include $104 million over three years for law enforcement programs in Indigenous communities.

As well, the budget set aside $45 million over three years to the First Peoples’ Cultural Council to revitalize language and culture and create economic opportunities.

On taxation, meanwhile, the province’s budget also promised to extend the First Nations apprenticeship training tax credit for three more years, until the end of 2028.

The fiscal plan also contains exemptions for qualifying First Nations from property transfer tax when transferring legal ownership on some of their properties and also exempts property taxes for Modern Treaty First Nations, and additionally for other First Nations’ properties used for cultural or community purposes.

Elders using the Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters program will see both a small increase in the tax threshold and a bump in the average monthly stipend.