Vancouver Island Indigenous leaders hope new monarch will lead to broader change

With the ascension of Charles to King of the United Kingdom, Indigenous leaders on Vancouver Island – like Eric Pelkey on the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council – hope the change is transformational for the country's relationship with Indigenous peoples across the world.

"We hope that the new King will be more receptive to our concerns and to act upon them," said Pelkey Monday.

As the Queen's death is mourned, her and the monarchy's role in colonialism are also being remembered.

"Our land, our culture, were stolen from us – our way of life were stolen from us," said Pelkey.

Most of all, there are calls from Indigenous groups for King Charles III to denounce the "Doctrine of Discovery," a centuries-old policy used to justify colonialism.

"It is a fabrication and it is a lie," said Ry Moran, the associate librarian for reconciliation at the University of Victoria.

"[It] is founded on the false notion or belief that these were empty lands, devoid of humans, devoid of rights-bearing people," he said.

Britain's colonial past reached all the way to Vancouver Island.

"The British crown was one of the biggest colonizers and caused a lot of damage to the Nuu-chah-nulth people," said Judith Sayers, the President of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, which represents 14 First Nations on Vancouver Island's west coast.

Denouncing the doctrine would be meaningful in furthering reconciliation, said Moran.

"To move forward in a good way as society we have to start this conversation anew and recognize that Indigenous people have inherent rights," he said.

More than symbolic, the message could lead to Crown land being returned to Indigenous peoples, according to Sayers.

"I would hope that would open up new conversations because there’s still much land and resources that need to be dealt with," she said.

"There’s an experimental farm right on the Pat Bay Highway that’s Crown land and we’ve asked for that before, there’s the airport lands," she added.

Charles last visited Canada four months ago when he was Prince Charles, meeting with residential school survivors in Yellowknife where he addressed the grim chapter in our history.

And there is optimism that the new monarch may bring a fresh start – and modern approach – to historic wrongs.