Dear Musqueam Community:
On behalf of Chief and Council, we are devastated to report that this morning the Supreme Court of British Columbia decided in favour of Cowichan Tribes’ claims granting:
- Aboriginal title within Musqueam’s traditional territory in Richmond
- right to fish the south arm of the Fraser River
Musqueam fundamentally disagrees with this judgment in this case, in which Musqueam was a defendant. It’s important that community remembers that we have always defended our territory and inherent rights and we plan to do so again. We have fought all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada and won two cases which established legal precedents on Aboriginal law through the landmark Guerin and Sparrow cases.
We are extremely disappointed the court didn’t recognize the importance of oral history and traditional governance protocols which guide intercommunity relationships since time immemorial.
Musqueam’s leadership requires time to review the 863-page decision with their legal team at Mandell Pinder LLP, and will be reviewing the impact of this decision to determine next steps.
We will continue to update community on our plan for defending our rights moving forward.
Sincerely,
Musqueam Chief & Council
