Recently, there’s been a rise in anti-Indigenous feelings and politics in Canada. This has been evident in the heated race for leadership of the British Columbia Conservative Party, along with provincial protests that deny the negative impacts of the residential school system.
During the B. C. leadership race, there was talk about repealing the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). Supporters claim this will protect private property rights, boost the forestry sector, and restore democracy.
This debate isn’t just confined to Canadian conservatives. The B. C. NDP has also found itself discussing DRIPA internally, while Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government is under constant scrutiny regarding whether fast-tracked infrastructure projects meet their constitutional obligations to consult with First Nations.
Read more: Mark Carney wants to make Canada an energy superpower – but what will be sacrificed for that goal?
NZ First MP Shane Jones speaks in New Zealand’s Parliament in Wellington in March 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-Mc Lay)
The deputy leader of NZ First, Shane Jones-who is also Māori-has portrayed those who oppose him as overly emotional or disconnected from his working-class perspective.
The ongoing verbal attacks on Māori sovereignty have led attempts to fast-track controversial projects like Bendigo-Ophir goldmine and Taranaki iron sands initiatives that could negatively affect both physical environments and cultural sites important to Māori communities.
This trend highlights how national interests are being placed against those of Māori communities-a concerning movement labeled as undemocratic, racist, and harmful for individual freedoms within New Zealand society.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei gestures to the audience after giving a speech at CPAC Brasil 2024, a conservative event, in Balneario Camboriu, Brazil, (AP Photo/Heuler Andrey)<p As seen elsewhere like New Zealand , this narrative leads towards increased repression against indigenous groups making way for large development endeavors under different legislative frameworks established by Milei's administration such as Regime for Large Investments (RIGI).
Milei went even further proposing an expansion dubbed Super-RIGI intended likely influenced by American entrepreneur Peter Thiel’s recent visit aiming at attracting tech investments including companies such as Palantir into Argentina’s economy.
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The situation in New Zealand
When these topics come up in Canadian media, they’re often linked to local events like contentious court rulings. However, our research with partners from New Zealand and Argentina indicates that these attacks on Indigenous rights in Canada fit into a broader international pattern known as recolonization. The right-leaning coalition government in New Zealand is pushing forward major infrastructure projects through a law called the 2024 Fast-track Approvals Act. This legislation allows projects to skip consent processes and avoid current environmental laws. This fast-track legislation lets projects bypass Māori sovereignty and consultation rights outlined in the Treaty of Waitangi (the foundational document governing relationships between Māori and the Crown). The 2024 Fast-track Act has been used to dismantle government ministries, remove agricultural emissions limits, weaken regional councils and oversight bodies, cut public spending, and extend resource permissions without proper consultation. A wave of anti-Māori rhetoric has emerged from across the coalition government to justify these changes. The ruling National Party pairs its free-market economic policies with populist appeals directed at rural/agricultural communities, portraying farmers as essential contributors while overlooking Māori contributions. Thousands of people gather outside New Zealand’s parliament in Wellington in November 2024 to protest a proposed law that would have redefined the country’s founding agreement between Indigenous Māori and the British Crown. The law was ultimately handily defeated. (AP Photo/Mark Tantrum)Eroding Māori rights
The far-right ACT Party shows connections to groups like Atlas Network, which is known for climate denial along with ties to anti-protest laws and disinformation efforts aimed at linking right-wing think tanks worldwide. <p-ACT has repeatedly targeted Māori culture through openly racist policies and statements by introducing measures like the Treaty Principles Bill aimed at undermining Māori self-determination by altering how treaty principles are legally interpreted.NZ First MP Shane Jones speaks in New Zealand’s Parliament in Wellington in March 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-Mc Lay)
The deputy leader of NZ First, Shane Jones-who is also Māori-has portrayed those who oppose him as overly emotional or disconnected from his working-class perspective.
The ongoing verbal attacks on Māori sovereignty have led attempts to fast-track controversial projects like Bendigo-Ophir goldmine and Taranaki iron sands initiatives that could negatively affect both physical environments and cultural sites important to Māori communities.
This trend highlights how national interests are being placed against those of Māori communities-a concerning movement labeled as undemocratic, racist, and harmful for individual freedoms within New Zealand society.
The situation in Argentina
Pushing even further than elsewhere is Argentine President Javier Milei who openly celebrates Spanish colonialism. In October 2024 he shared a video on X honoring Christopher Columbus’s arrival as “the beginning of civilization” leading us into “a new era of progress.” This kind of rhetoric has resulted directly in targeting Mapuche women living in Patagonia where they’ve faced legal actions fueled by racism after being labeled “terrorist groups” following accusations related to wildfires early last year. These claims resulted in police raids on Mapuche communities.Argentina’s President Javier Milei gestures to the audience after giving a speech at CPAC Brasil 2024, a conservative event, in Balneario Camboriu, Brazil, (AP Photo/Heuler Andrey)<p As seen elsewhere like New Zealand , this narrative leads towards increased repression against indigenous groups making way for large development endeavors under different legislative frameworks established by Milei's administration such as Regime for Large Investments (RIGI).
Milei went even further proposing an expansion dubbed Super-RIGI intended likely influenced by American entrepreneur Peter Thiel’s recent visit aiming at attracting tech investments including companies such as Palantir into Argentina’s economy.
A troubling road ahead
The narratives unfolding across Canada , New Zealand , and Argentina might vary but they share common themes highlighting recolonization efforts occurring globally at various stages today. If we look closely here within Canada , diverse levels among governments seek ways limiting regulations whilst diminishing meaningful consultations required towards reconciliation efforts impacting indigenous peoples’ rights significantly. Read more: Aboriginal title and land ownership is suddenly a hot topic in Canada – and won’t be settled anytime soon In contrast , authorities down under explore avoiding public engagement regarding their colonial pasts through deliberate reinterpretations affecting indigenous perspectives entrenched within treaties.Meanwhile southward over there one finds leaders antagonizing native populations stripping away existing protections granting them voices worth listening too!
It becomes crucial for Canadians citizens alike recognizing implications surrounding arguments promoting recolonization deregulation ultimately leading toward deeper colonization paths ahead if left unchecked -historically speaking colonizations were deeply interconnected across borders much akin modern-day recolonizations taking shape now!
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