Hupacasath First Nation will appeal a federal court ruling

Hupacasath First Nation will appeal a federal court ruling that dismissed its challenge of Canada's China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement. Spokesperson Brenda Sayers said Hupacasath, a nation of about 300 members, urgently needs funds to finance the appeal. The FIPA provides mutual protections for Canadian companies operating in China and Chinese investments in Canada. It is a 30-year treaty that Hupacasath says will have an impact on its own treaty negotiations with Canada and puts the rest of Canada at risk of being sued if Chinese investment is compromised by future laws and policies. Hupacasath said it wasn’t consulted by even though the FIPA will affect Hupacasath’s traditional rights and title. Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, has stood with Hupacasath since it took on the challenge. “These court cases will serve as a cumulative effect of pushing back the Harper Government's legislative agenda. Collectively, these cases serve notice not only on the Harper Government but certainly on industry, business interests, that they are simply not going to steamroll Indigenous land rights and environmental considerations without us pushing back and taking these matters before the courts and politically challenging this agenda.”