AME: Government paralysis on DRIPA hurting mining future

The Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) criticized British Columbia Premier David Eby's announcement the provincial government will not introduce amendments to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) during the Spring 2026 legislative session.

AME President and CEO Todd Stone expressed disappointment with the premier's latest announcement. "Our members are deeply disappointed by the Premier's announcement. AME has been supportive of the premier's ambitions for BC to become a critical minerals powerhouse, but the decision to punt this issue six months into the future will only frustrate those ambitions. This is a critical time for mineral explorers in our province who need to be focused on raising money and getting to work looking for minerals the world needs for tomorrow. All of this gets more challenging as uncertainty continues to grow due to the province's indecision and paralysis."

AME reiterated the need for timely and substantive amendments to restore certainty to British Columbia's economic outlook. The organization pointed to the Premier's December 2025 commitment to substantially amend the legislation during the spring term.

In an official statement, AME officials pointed out that Premier Eby stated in December: "But to be frank, it is absolutely crucial that it is British Columbians through their elected representatives that remain in control of this process, not the courts…. Too much rides on it in terms of our province's prosperity and certainty going forward. So, I think it just as likely or perhaps more likely that we would proceed with amendments to provide clarity around what was clearly intended when we introduced this legislation, and the court appears to have some confusion about that."

The government announced an engagement process with First Nations. AME encourages the Province to commit to concurrent engagement with the public and industry. The organization emphasized that any DRIPA process needs consistency and transparency.

Stone noted that collaborative approaches yield better results and the mineral exploration sector requires all stakeholders to participate in finding solutions that work for everyone involved. The organization plans to continue engaging with members and discussing these developments as they unfold.

The organization’s position on DRIPA can be found at www.Amebc.ca/news/ame-calls-for-specific-dripa-amendments