British Columbia Premier David Eby hasn’t had to familiarize himself with a new face in his office after deputy director of communications James Smith left for another job — he simply tapped Smith’s identical twin brother, George.
The brothers have been confusing the B.C. political scene for years and it’s a familiar post for George Smith, who previously held the same job under late former premier John Horgan, before being promoted to director of communications under both Horgan and then Eby until 2024.
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James Smith left Eby’s office last month after serving as the premier’s primary point of contact with the media for almost four years, and now works as director of government relations for the University of Victoria.
George Smith is meanwhile returning to the deputy director’s role on a temporary basis, on secondment until mid-June from his current job in the provincial bureaucracy.
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James Smith says he’s grateful his brother is stepping in for a short time to help train some new staff.
He says he’s been lucky enough to work with some brilliant minds and “George is one of those people,” who just “happens to be” his twin brother.
“It’s a rare sight to see identical twins working together in any workplace and especially in the halls of the legislature,” James Smith says in a statement.
“During the time George and I have worked alongside each other, we’ve confused a lot of people, staff, politicians and even some reporters, but it’s been a truly special time that I will cherish forever.”
Following two recent court decisions siding with First Nations under British Columbia’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, Premier David Eby is considering amendments that would weaken the legislation.
First Nations leaders have called on Eby to leave the bill alone.
The bill, known as DRIPA, requires B.C. to take “all measures” to align the rights of Indigenous Peoples with existing provincial legislation. Amendments proposed in a confidential letter sent to some First Nations leaders in B.C. on Monday say the government is looking to amend the bill to promise “ongoing processes” to align select legislation with DRIPA.
The provincial Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or DRIPA, was passed in 2019.
It’s based on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which requires free, prior and informed consent from Indigenous Peoples on matters affecting their rights, lands, territories and resources.
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The federal government has similarly adopted the UN principle and is working toward its implementation, though its view is it does not constitute a veto on development.
Eby told reporters last week his government is trying its best to work with chiefs across the province to address concerns about the court decisions. They both cited DRIPA and sided with First Nations on mining and property rights, which the provincial government has said isn’t the intention of the law.
One found the provincial mineral claims regime is “inconsistent” with DRIPA, and another recognized the Cowichan Tribes’ Aboriginal title on land along the Fraser River, with titles held by Canada and the City of Richmond deemed “defective and invalid.”
In response to the mineral claims case, Eby has said it’s “crucial that it is British Columbians through their elected representatives that remain in control of this process, not the courts.”
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“Too much rides on it in terms of our province’s prosperity and certainty going forward.”
DRIPA court challenge launched
If the amendments are passed, it could complicate relationships between Indigenous Peoples and Eby’s government as it looks to get major projects built to boost its economy in the face of trade threats from the United States.
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Eby has been facing growing questions over the future of the legislation, and has been criticized over the process in which changes are being discussed.
The proposed changes have remained out of the public eye. The letter sent to First Nations leaders on Monday, which included a link to a document with details of the proposed amendments, said it was “subject to cabinet confidence” and was shared under a confidentiality agreement, which some leaders agreed to in order to allow for consultations.
The Canadian Press has viewed both documents.
Some First Nations leaders have told media they have yet to see the proposed amendments themselves, despite signing that confidentiality agreement.
The province is scheduled to host a briefing about the proposed changes with First Nations leaders on Wednesday, and those leaders are asked to provide feedback by 4 p.m. on Friday. A one-hour meeting for those leaders has also been set for April 1 with Eby, Attorney General Niki Sharma and Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Spencer Chandra Herbert.
The letter says the government is open to changes and acknowledges the “compressed timelines.”
The government document shows the existing wording of some sections of the law crossed out, with the proposed text of the changes underneath for First Nations leaders to review.
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The “Purpose of the Act” section, as currently written in the law, says it is “to affirm the application of the Declaration to the laws of British Columbia.”
The proposed change for that section change instead says the government will “provide for the ongoing processes of the government working, in consultation and co-operation with the Indigenous peoples in British Columbia, towards aligning enactments with the declaration.”
The document also shows the provincial government is looking to replace a clause that says the government “must take all measures necessary to ensure the laws of British Columbia are consistent with the Declaration,” and instead says the provincial government will work toward aligning specific laws “identified as priorities.”
It continues that the province “may prepare a new action plan” for implementing DRIPA “at any time.”
First Nations have said they do not support any changes to the legislation, while some B.C. Conservative MLAs have called for the law to be scrapped altogether.
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, which advocates on behalf of more than 100 First Nations in the province, passed a resolution in February calling on the government to publicly commit to keeping the law as is currently written.
The Law Society of British Columbia has decried Eby’s intent to change the legislation in response to court rulings. In a statement released in February, the group said “politicians must take great care when commenting on judicial decisions and must avoid asserting or implying that courts are not properly playing their role.” Doing so, the group said, decreases confidence in the justice system.
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“The Law Society urges the B.C. government to reconsider making any proposed legislative changes that would limit access to independent courts,” their statement reads.
—With files from Wolfgang Depner in Victoria and Chuck Chiang in Vancouver
B.C. Premier David Eby has written a letter urging the governors of three western U.S. states to join the province in ending the seasonal time change.
“Despite the trade challenges before us, our Cascadia region remains deeply integrated through tourism, trade and transportation and we value you as close neighbours and friends,” the letter reads.
“We want our economies to be aligned, for travel and trade to be be unhindered.”
On Monday, Eby announced that this weekend will be the last time the province will spring forward, making daylight saving time permanent.
B.C. moves to permanent daylight saving time
In a letter to the governors of Washington, Oregon and California, Eby said he is asking them to advocate for authorization from the U.S. Congress.
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There is also still some debate that a permanent change to daylight saving is not the best course.
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“In counties in the U.S., where they’ve had permanent daylight saving time, they’ve organized that, they found more children were injured in the morning going to school and found that teenage students had lower graduation rates and did worse at school,” Wendy Hall, a UBC nursing professor emeritus, said.
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However, B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma said that most British Columbians want to make the permanent change.
“British Columbians told us through their survey input that they preferred to have that extra hour of daylight during the summer and for eight months of the year we can take advantage of that,” she said.
British Columbians will adopt year-round daylight time, springing forward by one hour this Sunday for the last time.
In an announcement on Monday, B.C. Premier David Eby said that following the upcoming time change on Sunday morning, when the clocks will “spring forward,” there will be no further time changes.
The decision means that B.C. will be on the same time zone as the Yukon and will match Alberta from November to March, while it will remain one hour behind Washington state, Oregon and California during the winter months.
“When we change our clocks twice a year, it creates all kinds of problems,” Eby said.
“Kids get up at the same time, even though the clocks changed. Dogs get up at the same time, even though the clocks changed. Parents lose sleep, kids lose sleep and, even people without kids or parents they’re losing an hour of sleep and they’re getting less sleep. And so what we see is more car accidents and people not feeling well and impacts, that have a huge, unnecessary impact on the lives of British Columbians.”
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Attorney General Niki Sharma said that she is looking forward to more stable and predictable schedules.
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“On Nov. 1, when clocks would normally be turned back, no change will be made and we will have fully transitioned into our brand new time zone called Pacific Time,” she said.
“Pacific Time will be set seven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time.”
As of November 2026, B.C. will be two hours behind Eastern Standard Time. In March 2027 B.C. will be three hours behind Eastern Standard Time again.
Under former premier John Horgan, B.C.’s NDP government passed legislation enabling the province to end the biannual time change, but the measure was never enacted.
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That’s because B.C. sought to align the shift with jurisdictions along the west coast, like Washington and California, and avoid business disruptions.
In 2020, people in Yukon moved their clocks ahead for the last time, switching to permanent daylight saving time following a wildly popular public consultation.
“We had committed to wait for our American partners,” Eby said.
“But the reality is that they’re stuck. And we want to help give them the push that they need. Someone’s got to go first. To be fair, the Yukon went first and we thank them for that. But we’re going to give them a push. And we’re also going to make decisions right now where British Columbia decides what’s best for us.”
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According to the Pew Research Center, only about a third of the world’s countries practise daylight saving time, and the vast majority of them are in Europe.
In Canada, the majority of Saskatchewan does not observe daylight saving time.
B.C.’s Premier David Eby is set to speak at 12:45 p.m. PST on Friday to respond to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that Trump overstepped his presidential authority by imposing tariffs on Canada, Mexico and other countries under emergency powers, striking down a central economic and diplomatic strategy that has upended global trade.
A majority of the justices sided with lower courts that had found Trump improperly used tariffs to respond to national emergencies he declared over fentanyl trafficking in North America and international trade deficits, the latter of which led to so-called “reciprocal” tariffs against dozens of nations.
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The law Trump used to exercise that authority, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEPPA), “does not authorize the President to impose tariffs,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion.
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Eby has always been very vocal against Trump’s tariffs and the impact on B.C.’s economy.
“We are not going to accept these continual threats, this continued uncertainty. We are going to stand up for Canadians. This is unacceptable,” Eby said last March.
Trump can still impose tariffs under other authorities, including a national security clause known as Section 232 that targets specific industries rather than countries. Those tariffs on goods, including steel, lumber and automobiles, remain in place.
This story will be updated following Eby’s press conference on Friday afternoon.
— With files from Global News’ Sean Boynton and Ariel Rabinovitch
