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Faculty of Graduate Studies

Nick Shaffer

  • M.A. (University of Colorado Boulder, 2019)

  • B.A. (Temple University, 2017)

Notice of the Final Oral Examination for the Degree of Master of Arts

Topic

Settler Backlash and the Limits of State-led Reconciliation: Analyzing Public Response to BC’s 2024 Land Act Amendments

School of Public Administration

Date & location

  • Tuesday, September 29, 2026

  • 1:00 P.M.

  • Human and Social Development Building

  • Room A302

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

  • Dr. Heather Castleden, School of Public Administration, University of Victoria (Supervisor)

  • Dr. Robert Lapper, School of Public Administration, UVic (Member) 

External Examiner

  • Dr. Brian Thom, Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria 

Chair of Oral Examination

  • Dr. Nicole Templeman, Department of Biology, UVic

     

Abstract

Approaching the seven-year anniversary of British Columbia’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, this study examined challenges the Province encountered in implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as its reconciliation framework. Specifically, I focused on the contested narratives constructed around the Province’s 2024 proposed amendments to align its Land Act with the UN Declaration—narratives cited by the Province in February 2024 as informing its decision to indefinitely postpone the amendments pending further engagement. To explore this, I employed a thematic analysis of online narratives surrounding the proposed amendments, drawing on commentary from four stakeholder groups and one rights-holder group: conventional news media; Indigenous organizations and First Nations governments; individual voices; interest groups, think tanks, and law firms; and settler government actors. My analysis revealed four central themes regarding the proposed amendments. These were 1) Settler fears of marginalization: Perceived threats to rights and democracy; 2) "Decisions behind closed doors": Concerns about inadequate consultation, legal overreach, and governability; 3) The (il)legitimacy of Indigenous nationhood and governance, and 4) Competing economic and legal futures. Based on my findings, I recommend that the Province adopt proactive public education strategies, develop clearer implementation frameworks for shared decision-making agreements surrounding land decisions, and strengthen institutional capacity through Indigenous collaboration and discourse-informed analysis to support future UN Declaration implementation within an increasingly contested policy environment.

Key Words: Reconciliation, Declaration Act, Land Act, Land Rights, Qualitative Analysis, Thematic Analysis

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