Declaration Act
Secretariat Leadership

Priscilla Sabbas-Watts | c̓aʔaa

a/Deputy Minister

Priscilla’s traditional name is c̓aʔaa [sah-ah], which comes from the word c̓aʔaas, meaning to strip cedar from the cedar tree. She is from the Hiškʷiiʔatḥ (Hesquiaht) on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. Hiškʷiiʔatḥ is one of fourteen nations of the Nuučaan̓uƛ (Nuuchahnulth).

Priscilla is the acting Deputy Minister of the Declaration Act Secretariat. Within this role she plays a fundamental role supporting cross-government efforts to work in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous Peoples to align laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as per section 3 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Priscilla has served as a public servant for the past 20 years holding positions both within her Nation and within the provincial public service. She has previously served both as an elected councillor for Hesquiaht, and Vice President of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. Within the BC Public Service Priscilla has held roles in the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, the Ministry of Children and Family Development, and the BC Public Service Agency. Most recently she was the Executive Director of the Equity Diversity and Inclusion Branch at the BC Public Service Agency.

Priscilla lives in c̓išaaʔatḥ (Tseshaht) and Hupačasath territory in the Alberni Valley with her husband and three children.

Aaron Brown

Executive Director, Economics and Finance

Aaron Brown is the Executive Director supporting the Finance and Economics sector at the Declaration Act Secretariat.

Aaron’s ancestry is North-Western European and Indigenous: he is a member of the Misipawistik Cree Nation (Grand Rapids) in Northern Manitoba.

Aaron has worked for fifteen years in the B.C. Public Service, holding a variety of senior management roles across four ministries. Most recently, Aaron worked at the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure where he designed and developed the Passenger Transportation Accessibility Program which improves transportation services and experiences for the accessibility community. Prior to this, Aaron worked at the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

In addition to helping to implement the Declaration Act across the B.C. Public Service, Aaron is interested in creating strategy and vision, assessing complex policy, and managing projects.

Aaron holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Victoria. He lives with his wife and two children (aged two and four so life is busy!) on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen people (known today as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations) in Victoria, B.C. and is grateful to live, work and play there.

Jackie Demerse-Abbasi

Executive Director, Social Justice and Policing

Jackie was born and raised on Treaty 4 territory in Saskatchewan, home of the Cree, Saulteaux, Nakota, Lakota, Dakota, and homeland of the Métis.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and Masters in Public Administration from the University of Regina, and PhD (abd) from the University of Western Ontario specializing in multi-level governance, public policy, and Canadian politics.  Jackie has a diverse background in both the public and academic sectors.  Over the years, she has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in local government, public administration, and strategic planning.  Most recently, Jackie held the role of Director of Indigenous Economic Development at the Ministry of Trade and Export Development with the Government of Saskatchewan. Prior to this, she was the Director, then Acting Executive Director of the Status of Women Office and Senior Legislative Analyst with the Ministry of Government Relations.

Jackie has worked collaboratively with Indigenous communities, organizations and people on files spanning economic reconciliation, gender equity and gender-based violence including MMIWG2S+. And, as the daughter of a Sixties Scoop survivor, understands the cumulative impact of colonial policies and importance of connection/re-connection to community and Indigenous ways of knowing and being. She is married with two boys under the age of six and is grateful for the opportunity to live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Lekwungen speaking peoples, the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, in Victoria B.C.

Yimmie Sonuga

Executive director, Natural Resources

Yimmie is the Executive Director supporting Natural Resource Sector ministries at the Declaration Act Secretariat. After closely following the development and subsequent enactment of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Declaration Act), she joined the BC Public Service to support efforts to implement it. 

Since joining the BC Public Service, she has held a number of policy and legislation senior leadership roles. During her tenure, she has worked to build internal capacity around requirements under the Declaration Act and led several policy and or legislative initiatives. This includes the development of reconciliation-focused amendments to the Wildlife Act and the drafting of the Anti-Racism Act, 2024, which was developed in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous Peoples and engagement with racialized communities.  

Prior to her time in B.C., she most recently worked in Alberta, where she successfully led the development and implementation of public policy and legislation in a variety of sectors such as transportation, economic development, innovation, advanced education and Crown agency oversight. To her role, Yimmie brings a relationship-centred approach and significant provincial and international leadership experience in strategic development, change leadership, legislation, policy, legal counsel, regulatory affairs, and governance, gained in public, private, and non-profit spheres. She has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University of Alberta and an honours law degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. 

She is humbled to now live, work and play on the beautiful traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən speaking Peoples (known today as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations). In her spare time, she enjoys creative pursuits and living an active outdoor lifestyle.