How are we working together?
Indigenous People have the right to use names in their language. Any changes government makes to respect this right will be done together with Indigenous Peoples in B.C. so that it can be done correctly. The ministry is engaging Indigenous Peoples and community members in a few ways:
- Consultation and co-operation with First Nations – to align laws, design solutions and prioritize the services most important to Indigenous Peoples.
- Community level engagement to understand people’s needs around specific services.
To date, three community level engagements regarding including Indigenous names on ID have taken place. The Alliance of BC Modern Treaty Nations, the First Nations Leadership Council and Métis Nation BC have provided input on the project and consultation approach.
The Province anticipates that consultation with First Nations to define how government includes Indigenous Persons’ names on ID will take place this year. This consultation builds on the input the Province has received from community members. The Province is grateful for the contributions of each participant. Consultation regarding place names and business names will be held after those on person names.
Are there challenges?
There is a risk that First Nations will not have time to consult due the number of requests for consultation they receive. To mitigate this risk the ministry is providing consultation material in a format that is easy to respond to and offering a variety of ways to engage so that First Nations can select an option that meets their capacity.
Furthermore, the ministry attended the January 2025 B.C. Cabinet and First Nations Leaders’ Gathering as an exhibitor to increase awareness of the upcoming consultation and identify specific contacts to receive the materials. People’s lives occur across the boundaries of provinces, territories, and nations. Indigenous People may experience additional harm if the work the Province does to advance inclusion of Indigenous language names doesn’t align with the delivery of programs and services in other jurisdictions. To mitigate this risk, the Province is working closely with provincial, territorial, and federal partners to ensure the changes B.C. makes maintain access to services when individuals accessing services have an Indigenous language name. This includes providing standards and templates other organizations and jurisdictions can use in their implementation and an interim approach that will be compatible with systems and services that currently cannot process Indigenous language characters.
Highlights
Between May 2023 and October 2024, the BC Data Service hosted three engagements to understand the needs of Indigenous People who wish to register an Indigenous name, and to explore options for how to include names. Materials for consultation with First Nations are currently being reviewed and approved.
Feedback from the engagement sessions was positive; one participant’s remarks in response to the engagement summary report was: “The team presenting this information were very knowledgeable about the culture and our names. They did their [re]search and further to that applied what they had learned. I felt seen. I felt valued and I felt heard. I really appreciated the visual presentation. The team leading this process are to be commended for a job well done. I raise my hands in thanks [to] you all.”
In addition to engaging with Indigenous People, the BC Data Service interviewed service delivery staff from across the BC Public Service to identify support and tools, including training material, to help them provide services to people using Indigenous language names. The insights from this research will play a crucial role in improving the process for Indigenous People who register an Indigenous name and support safe service interactions.