government worsened over time, as the McKenna–McBride Royal Commission led to the redistribution of reserve lands and the Allied Tribes of British Columbia was essentially dissolved by an amendment to the Indian Act.
In the second half of the 20th century, demands for the recognition of Aboriginal title were buoyed by various court decisions in B.C., including Calder v British Columbia (AG) and R v Sparrow.
The Claims Task Force made 19 recommendations and suggested a six-stage process for negotiating new treaties.
The following year, the Supreme Court of Canada rendered its decision on Delgamuukw v British Columbia, recognizing Aboriginal title as "a right to the land itself", which derives from First Nations original occupation and possession at the time the Crown asserted sovereignty.
Ditidaht First Nation has subsequently taken legal action against the Maa-nulth in a dispute over land and resource ownership.
In 2002, the governing BC Liberal Party mailed out ballots for a provincial referendum on principles for treaty negotiations.
A November 2007 court ruling for the Xeni Gwetʼin First Nation called future participation in the process into question.
The judge's ruling included a non-binding opinion that the Xeni Gwetʼin could demonstrate Aboriginal title to half of the Nemaiah Valley, and that the province had no power over these lands.
[6] Notwithstanding such legal rulings (sustained later in the 2015 Supreme Court of Canada decision, Tsilhqotʼin Nation v British Columbia), the BC Treaty Process continues, as more than half of all First Nations in BC continue through the stages of the process.
A combination of contribution (grant) funding and loans are provided to First Nations on cost-share basis by the federal and provincial governments to support negotiation efforts.
The process: The voice of criticisms have come from different angles in Indigenous communities across British Columbia and Canada, and from the non-native society as well.