Minister Conroy Talks Community Engagement at PNWER Economic Leadership Forum

On Nov. 17, 2019, British Columbia’s Minister Responsible for the Columbia River Treaty, Katrine Conroy, gave the keynote speech at the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region’s (PNWER) Economic Leadership Forum in Seattle.  PNWER representatives were particularly interested to hear about the steps the B.C. government had been taking to inform and connect with local communities and citizens on the Columbia River Treaty.

Minister Conroy spoke to a large audience of politicians, economists, academics, planners and tech and industry representatives, from throughout the Pacific Northwest region.  She spoke in detail about how the B.C. government has engaged with Columbia Basin communities about the Treaty over the past decade, and why it is important to continue doing so.

Pointing to the long history of the Treaty and its impacts on Columbia Basin communities in B.C., Minister Conroy recalled how grassroots local efforts led to the establishment of the Columbia Basin Trust in the 1990s as a means to give Basin residents a share of the benefits created by the Treaty to enhance the social, economic and environmental well being of the Basin.

She explained how the 2011 launch of the B.C.’s Columbia River Treaty Review set the stage for a conversation with the public that is still going today.  One of the key messages the B.C. government has heard from Basin citizens is that they want to stay informed on Treaty matters, including Canada’s negotiations with the United States, and have a say on what a modernized Columbia River Treaty might look like.

Minister Conroy stressed the importance of maintaining that connection with the public, and communicating in multiple ways with Indigenous Nations, communities and all citizens in the region.  For B.C., this has included local meetings held across the Basin, in which Treaty negotiators, B.C. government staff and at times the minister herself speak to, and hear from, residents face-to-face.  She described how the B.C. government uses social media, newsletters, traditional media and a variety of other means, both to update communities about the current negotiations and to continue seeking their feedback and ideas.  Minister Conroy explained how the governments of Canada and B.C. have partnered with Indigenous Nations, both in the negotiation process and in addressing ecosystems and cultural values in a modernized Treaty.

After her speech, PNWER delegates discussed at their tables how best practices from B.C. could be applied in their own jurisdictions.

PNWER’s President, Montana State Senator Mike Cuffe, also spoke about the Treaty at the Forum’s opening banquet, along with Robert Kerr, Consul General of Canada in Seattle, and Katherine Dhanani, Consul General of the U.S. in Vancouver.

The full evening can be viewed online at: https://www.tvw.org/watch/?clientID=9375922947&eventID=2019111055

Minister Conroy’s remarks begin at 25:20.