Nits’ilʔin (Chief) Otis Guichon Sr., Tribal Chief of the Tŝilhqot’in National Government, speaking at a TNG community event.

The following opinion piece was submitted to the Vancouver Sun in response to an opinion piece by Vaughn Palmer on March 10, 2026 entitled “B.C. farm sales hurt by Aboriginal title questions, MLA charges.” The response article was written by Nits’ilʔin (Chief) Otis Guichon Sr., Tribal Chief of the Tŝilhqot’in National Government, and Nits’ilʔin Roger William from Xeni Gwet’in First Nations Government. It addresses concerns over private property rights in the wake of the Cowichan Decision and the role that the Tŝilhqot’in Nation has had in ensuring private property rights are respected within the Tŝilhqot’in title lands.

Originally published in the Vancouver Sun, April 6, 2026: It is First Nations that suffer when elected leaders spread fear

Following recent comments in the legislature by Premier David Eby and Lorne Doerkson, the MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin, we have no choice but to clear the record about Tŝilhqot’in Aboriginal title, because it seems elected officials in this province would rather play tired politics than show true leadership.

Both Eby and Doerkson decried the so-called “uncertainty” created by the historic 2014 Tŝilhqot’in title decision, without regard for our tremendous efforts to ensure this title declaration brings certainty and success not only for the Tŝilhqot’in, but for our neighbours and for B.C.

We have never targeted private property and have no intention of doing so. We excluded private lands from the declaration of title that we sought (and received) from the Supreme Court of Canada in 2014.

We have made it a priority to ensure that our title declaration does not disrupt the lives of residents and business owners in the title area. We have maintained public access, recreation sites and provincial parks, so that others can share the breathtaking beauty of our title lands. We have authorized ranchers to continue grazing their cattle on title lands. We have generally affirmed the tenures, leases, licences, etc. that our neighbours rely on for their livelihoods, with only limited exceptions. We have even snowplowed roads for some neighbours where the province does not.

It hasn’t always been perfect or easy. For many years, our commitment to a stable transition for our neighbours came at the sacrifice of our own community interests. But as one of our elders reminds us, “We do not want to do to them, what was done to us.”

Time and again, First Nations have shown care and respect for the private property of our neighbours, even when those lands were wrongly taken from us in the past. We have seen the same care and respect from Haida Nation, and Quw’utsun Nation, among others. It is frustrating to see these genuine efforts by First Nations toward reconciliation met by misinformation and fearmongering.

Since first contact, Indigenous peoples have been vilified and portrayed as the enemy, while in reality we have faced the relentless taking of our lands, culture, language, and way of life.

We firmly believe that British Columbians want real ideas and solutions, not the same played-out politics. It is First Nations that suffer when elected leaders spread fear to score political points. It is important to recognize the very real efforts made by the Tŝilhqot’in Nation and others to find our rightful place in this province while respecting and caring for our neighbours.

Aboriginal title is an opportunity. We have shown that it can be a success. Let’s not lose sight of the potential for us all to succeed in this province.

Nits’ilʔin Otis Guichon Sr. is tribal chief of the Tŝilhqot’in National Government. Nits’ilʔin Roger William, Xeni Gwet’in First Nations Government, was plaintiff for the Tŝilhqot’in Nation title case.