Ottawa Signs Agreements With Musqueam First Nation Recognizing Aboriginal Rights in Vancouver Area

Musqueam Indian Band Chief Wayne Sparrow listens during the opening ceremony at the International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5), in Vancouver, on Feb. 3, 2023. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

Ottawa has signed three agreements with the Musqueam Indian Band that recognize the First Nation’s Aboriginal rights and increase its control over fisheries and marine emergency management along parts of British Columbia’s south coast.

The three agreements represent “a major step forward towards reconciliation and incremental implementation of Musqueam’s Aboriginal rights” under the Constitution Act, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) said in a Feb. 20 statement.