Unceded is a compelling history of the BC government's relationship with Indigenous peoples, from early "land question" disputes to current reconciliation efforts.
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. He details how early government officials refused to negotiate treaties, instead coercing First Nations onto small reserves. Despite sustained Indigenous resistance, the situation only worsened in the decades that followed--until several Supreme Court decisions compelled the province to sit down at the negotiating table.
More recently, the province has taken steps toward reconciliation, including passing legislation recognizing Indigenous rights. As Abbott shows, overcoming the legacy of colonialism is no small task, but achieving justice is worth the effort.
Unceded will help all British Columbians understand historical wrongs and the obstacles to righting them.
Table of Contents:
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
About the Author :
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.
Review :
"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."-- "Jim Reynolds, author of Canada and Colonialism and former general counsel to the Musqueam First Nation"
