With the BC Conservatives the work remains the same
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
What a whirlwind of the past five weeks. From municipal elections across B.C. on Oct. 17 to a provincial election on Oct. 24 to consequential elections in Brazil and the U.S.A., there’s been a lot to keep up with. We’ve had a chance to take a breath and reflect on what the B.C. provincial election results mean for the next four years of work for nature and the climate.
Probably the most alarming, BC Conservative Premier-elect Lorne Doerkson’s top priority is repealing the Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). Grand Chief Stewart Phillip from the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs warned doing so would amount to a “declaration of war” and Indigenous Peoples would make up the “thin red line” in defence of their rights and to protect natural resources from further industrial exploitation and political rollbacks.
The incoming B.C. Conservative caucus includes politicians who have openly promoted anti-Indigenous — not to mention homophobic, transphobic, racist and anti-migrant — policies and views. These ideas all run directly contrary to the values of justice and equity that we hold at the Wilderness Committee. We’ll continue to support Indigenous rights and be in solidarity with First Nations friends, allies and the many other communities who have, and will continue to be, most harmfully impacted by these views.
The incoming government has also expressed their intention to double fracking by 2032 and triple it by 2035, to support the new Pacific Link oil pipeline, and to repeal all that was left of B.C.’s main climate policy, CleanBC. These regressive steps would further worsen the climate crisis at a time when people in B.C. are already suffering its most devastating consequences every wildfire and flood season.
The environmental destruction won’t end there. The Conservative Party has also promised to reduce environmental review processes, fast-track 31 new mine proposals or extensions, increase logging by a hugely unsustainably 50 per cent and dissolve old-growth deferrals.
Seeing these policies and ideas gain power in our political and social institutions is frightening. It brings up grief, anger, anxiety and fear. These feelings are real, based on the lived experiences of many of us, and can feel hard to overcome. Making space for emotions while gathering energy for the fight ahead won’t be easy. But it will be necessary.
Where do we go from here?
Whether people voted for a different party for the first time or chose not to vote at all, it’s clear that many people voted for change. We want change too. But what that vision looks like remains the same for us — no matter the party in power.
We want to see a government and a world that respects and upholds Indigenous rights, meaningfully tackles climate change and a crippling cost of living, protects biodiversity and ecosystems, and supports and cares for those most impacted by the polycrises we face. Regardless of the party in power, this is the vision we’ll hold ourselves accountable to and keep fighting for. Just as we’ve seen around the world in the last couple weeks — worker protests in Toronto, to election victories in Brazil to Serbia, to student protests across Europe and beyond — movements and the will of people can bring change.
What we need to achieve this change remains the same: building a strong base and organizing our communities both within and outside electoral systems. At the Wilderness Committee, we’ll continue to speak out and work with communities to hold both elected officials and the corporations they prioritize, over the people and places in B.C., to account. Our values, which we embody in the work we do, have not and will not change during the cycles of any governments. Together, we’ll draw a line. And then we’ll move it forward.
