BELLA BELLA, B.C. — Online voting has begun in what the Heiltsuk Nation calls a historic referendum on a written constitution for the First Nation on British Columbia's central coast.
A statement from the nation says the voting follows nearly two decades of development and consultation, including six months of engagement with more than 2,000 Heiltsuk members in Bella Bella, Nanaimo and Vancouver.
If approved, it says the constitution will help the nation "reclaim its power."
Marilyn Slett, elected Chief of the Heiltsuk, says they have always had an ancestral constitution, enacted through ceremonies and everyday practices.
She says the nation is proud of the work that has gone into "reconstituting" its governance system with the written constitution, which lays out a legal framework for Heiltsuk governance, rights, responsibilities and law-making.
The statement says the constitution would help provide clarity for the nation and those it chooses to do business with, clearing up questions around decision-making in Heiltsuk territory that had previously been left to the courts.
It says the constitution also enshrines collaboration between elected Heiltsuk officials and ancient forms of governance, such as hereditary chiefs.
"We have never ceded, surrendered or extinguished our inherent right to govern the Hailzaqv people and our (territory)," hereditary chief Frank Brown says.
The written constitution reflects the nation's "paramount values," he says. "It is intended to support and guide current and future generations in the governance of our nation, and we eagerly await the outcome of this historic referendum."
The nation's membership received voting packages on Jan. 6. Voting opened Thursday and it's set to continue until Feb. 20, says the statement issued Thursday.
If it is approved by a majority of members, the statement says a ratification feast will be held in Bella Bella before the constitution takes effect.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2025.
The Canadian Press
