Photo: Tara Armstrong

Tara Armstrong has issued a statement on sovreignty issues.

An Okanagan MLA is again airing her views on Indigenous sovereignty in the face of opposition and a call to resign.

Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong and Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie issued a joint statement Tuesday acknowledging the Penticton Indian Band's recent call for their resignation.

"It’s no surprise that the chief and council of the Penticton Indian Band are alarmed by our repudiation of their unfounded sovereignty claims and the broader set of grievances promoted by the reconciliation industry," the MLAs said in their statement.

"Billions of dollars have flowed from the public to lawyers, consultants, and chiefs, with zero accountability and disastrous results. Indigenous lifespans have plunged by six years since 2017. British Columbians have seen taxes increase, healthcare and other public infrastructure fail, and the cost of living soar out of reach."

Controversial takes on Indigenous issues are something that Armstrong and Brodie have seemingly based much of their fledgling political careers on.

In March, BC Conservative leader John Rustad kicked out MLA Brodie from caucus for her decision to “publicly mock and belittle testimony from former residential school students, including by mimicking individuals recounting stories of abuses.”

Armstrong and Jordan Kealy then quit the party in solidarity with Brodie.

The PIB indicated they'd like them all to leave the legislature altogether in a statement issued last week.

"Assertions of Indigenous sovereignty are constitutionally protected rights and affirmed by Canadian and international law," chief and council of the Penticton Indian Band said in their statement.

"We call for their immediate resignation ... Real prosperity in British Columbia must include justice and equity for all, not only those benefiting from colonial structures."

Seemingly not swayed, Armstrong and Brodie said that they believe the interests of British Columbians are not being met.

"When British Columbia joined Canada in 1871, it saw no need to recognize Aboriginal title or sovereignty and resisted the creation of reserves for fear of excluding Indigenous people from public life," the statement from Armstrong and Brodie said.

"We hold a similar hope for our future—that all British Columbians will partake as equals in the province's future prosperity."

Assertions of Indigenous Sovereignty: A Response to the Penticton Indian Band

May 12, 2025
Victoria, British Columbia

In a joint statement last week, we sounded the alarm that the election of Mark Carney could fuel separatist sentiments within British Columbia.

We also… pic.twitter.com/yS3UeFrrLe

— Tara Armstrong (@TaraArmstrongBC) May 12, 2025