Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is ramping up pressure on Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government to take a harder line on private property rights following a contentious British Columbia Supreme Court ruling that established Aboriginal title over disputed riverside land in Richmond.
Speaking Thursday in Richmond, Poilievre argued that the federal government must instruct its legal team to prioritize fee simple property ownership—the traditional legal form of land ownership—above all competing claims to land.
"You need property rights protection to have a thriving, property-owning democracy," Poilievre stated at the news conference.
The Conservative leader's comments target last August's ruling by Justice Lynne Young, which recognized Aboriginal title for the Quw'utsun First Nation over approximately 325 hectares of riverside property. The land is currently owned by the federal Crown, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, the City of Richmond, and various private landowners.
While Young's decision stated that "the property rights of the private landowners are not undermined," she ruled that the Crown would need to "negotiate and reconcile" the coexistence of Aboriginal title with existing private property rights—language that has sparked significant controversy among property owners and local officials.
Poilievre zeroed in on the judge's characterization of Aboriginal title as a "prior and senior right to land," arguing this language effectively subordinates private ownership to Indigenous claims.
"Ultimately that claim replaces the property rights ownership of the landowners there," Poilievre said.
The ruling has proven politically explosive across British Columbia. Premier David Eby has acknowledged that private property owners' concerns are "totally reasonable," while Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie warned the decision could "compromise the status and validity" of property ownership in the region. The federal Crown, provincial government, and City of Richmond are all appealing portions of Young's decision.
Poilievre criticized what he characterized as a shift in federal legal strategy. He noted that Ottawa originally defended fee simple property rights as taking precedence in such disputes, but that in 2018, the government discouraged Crown counsel from relying on that defence going forward.
"The Liberals should return to arguing that private property takes precedence," Poilievre stated.
The Conservative leader also expressed concern that the Quw'utsun precedent could trigger similar claims by other First Nations throughout British Columbia, potentially affecting property owners across the province.
For its part, the Quw'utsun Nation has pushed back against criticism of the ruling. In October 2025, the nation responded to Brodie's concerns, calling them "at best, misleading, and at worst, deliberately inflammatory." The nation emphasized that the case "does not challenge the effectiveness or validity of any title held by individual private landowners and does not erase private property."
Young's ruling included an 18-month suspension to allow all parties involved—Crown agencies, the First Nation, and private landowners—time to negotiate a resolution before the full implications take effect.
This article is based on reporting from CBC Politics. Read the original CBC News story.