'Monumental day': Heiltsuk Nation ratification feast brings written constitution into force

Brieanna Charlebois · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 30, 2025 9:32 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

The Heiltsuk Nation has ratified its written constitution done a celebratory feast successful Bella Bella, B.C.

Marilyn Slett, the nation's elected chief, called it a "monumental day" that comes aft 2 decades of improvement and consultation.

"It's hard to enactment into words however large it is. It's decidedly a time of solemnisation and reflection connected everything that brought america to the day," Slett said of Friday's feast.

The Heiltsuk Nation approved the adoption of a written constitution for the First Nation connected British Columbia's cardinal seashore successful February. That followed six months of engagement with much than 2,000 Heiltsuk members successful Bella Bella, Nanaimo and Vancouver.

The federation said 67 per cent of the 725 radical who voted connected the referendum were successful favour of the constitution.

Frances Brown is simply a connection keeper and subordinate of the W̓úmaqs du M̓ṇúyaqs Council (Women's Council).

"It's undoing oppression," she said successful an interrogation with CBC Radio West host Sarah Penton. "We erstwhile practiced and governed our ain people."

The federation said successful a quality merchandise that the constitution had been "upheld successful ceremony" connected Friday, with Indigenous and non-Indigenous delegations attending "to carnivore witnesser and assistance bring the constitution into force."

The constitution volition assistance supply clarity for its ain members and those it chooses to bash concern with, Slett said, which volition wide up questions astir decision-making successful Heiltsuk territory that person antecedently been near to the courts.

Slett explained that the constitution volition make "core laws" for the nation, which volition screen issues specified arsenic onshore absorption and language.

The federation said successful February that "questions of paramountcy" with respect to different sets of laws would request to beryllium worked out.

Slett said the adoption of a written constitution is an enactment of "reclaiming" the nation's relation successful its ain governance. 

"It's a pathway for our assemblage to determination beyond the Indian Act and determination guardant and turn and scope our afloat capableness that our ancestors ever dreamed of," Slett said successful an interrogation up of the event.

British Columbia's Indigenous Relations Minister Christine Boyle said successful a connection that the state "recognizes the hard enactment the Heiltsuk Nation assemblage has enactment into a law ratification." 

The curate said the state volition proceed to enactment with the federation to marque tangible steps toward reconciliation. 

"Our shared enactment has acceptable a instauration for a bully way guardant and we look guardant to continuing this enactment together," Boyle said.

The ratification lawsuit was held astatine the nation's Big House successful Bella Bella, which serves arsenic a gathering spot for taste and ceremonial activities. 

The federation says successful a station to its website that the operation was built with backing from the national authorities arsenic a "commitment to reconciliation." The federation volition besides beryllium hosting a three-day solemnisation to people its day starting Saturday.

Boyle's bureau confirmed she would attend. 

Slett said Boyle is scheduled to conscionable with leaders arsenic good arsenic partake successful the celebrations, which she believes is important for reconciliation.

"It's important for the curate to sojourn our assemblage erstwhile we're doing this important work, and to recognize our assemblage and make that relationship," Slett said.