Unceded
Unceded
Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now
In British Columbia, land acknowledgements often refer to “unceded territory.” Yet many people remain uncertain about the history behind these words or their implications for the future of the province.
Unceded reveals the BC government’s history of injustice toward First Nations, providing the context for understanding the province’s current reconciliation efforts, including modern treaty negotiations. Treaty commissioner George M. Abbott combines archival research with a former cabinet minister’s insider perspective on government to chronicle over 150 years of BC-Indigenous relations. Abbott’s account details how early government officials refused to negotiate treaties and instead coerced First Nations onto small and scattered reserves while granting settlers access to vast tracts of land. Despite sustained Indigenous resistance, the situation only worsened as non-Indigenous demands for land and natural resources increased in the decades that followed.
It was only after several Supreme Court decisions affirmed Indigenous land rights that BC sat down at the negotiating table. More recently, the province has taken notable steps toward reconciliation, concluding modern treaties and passing legislation that acknowledges Indigenous rights. As Abbott shows, overcoming the legacy of colonialism is no small task, but achieving justice is worth the effort it takes.
This book is for readers of BC history, those who follow provincial politics, or anyone invested in the future of British Columbia. It is essential reading for elected officials and policy makers and will also appeal to scholars and students of Canadian history, political science, and Indigenous-settler relations.
I wish to thank George Abbott for his book about our colonial past. It is only with a better understanding of our history that we can have a better chance of creating a brighter future for First Nations in British Columbia.
Unceded is an excellent account of the relationship between First Nation groups and the government of British Columbia. It is well researched and enriched by interesting insights from George Abbott’s own involvement in more recent developments as a member of the provincial cabinet.
George M. Abbott is a BC treaty commissioner, appointed in 2025 to help guide treaty negotiations between First Nations, the province, and Canada. A former BC Liberal MLA and cabinet minister, he served in several prominent roles while in government, including as minister of aboriginal relations and reconciliation. He is an adjunct professor of political science at the University of Victoria, director and chair of Technical Safety BC, and the author of Big Promises, Small Government: Doing Less with Less in the BC Liberal New Era. He also served for seventeen years in local government as the director and chair of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District and as a councillor in the District of Sicamous. He lives in Victoria, BC.
Foreword / The Honourable Steven Point
Prologue: Ghosts from the Colonial Past
1 A Bold Vision Meets Resistance
2 Joseph Trutch and the Road to Dispossession
3 Confederation Brings Conflict
4 Intransigence Breeds Discord
5 Colonial Prejudice Meets Purposeful Ignorance
6 A Royal Commission Frustrates Hopes
7 Composition Changes, Disposition Does Not
8 Dispossession and Despair
9 Refugees on Their Own Lands
10 A Slow Shift in Indigenous Relations
11 The Nisg̱a’a Canoe Finally Reaches Home
12 A New Era Brings Hope and Vexation
13 Recognition, Reconciliation, and Recoil
14 New Ideas, Long-Standing Injustices
Epilogue: The Long and Rocky Road to Reconciliation
Acknowledgments; Notes; Suggestions for Further Reading; Index
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Aboriginal Peoples and Politics
The Indian Land Question in British Columbia, 1849-1989
By Paul Tennant
Big Promises, Small Government
Doing Less with Less in the BC Liberal New Era
By George M. Abbott; Foreword by Vaughn Palmer
To Share, Not Surrender
Indigenous and Settler Visions of Treaty Making in the Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia
Edited by Peter Cook, Neil Vallance, John Lutz, Graham Brazier, and Hamar Foster
