U.S.-based Indigenous group sues for right to shape how history is taught in B.C.

B.C. Premier David Eby promised on Thursday to fight the lawsuits in court.

A U.S.-based tribal chairman is accusing Canadian Indigenous groups of perpetuating an extinction of his people as he sues for the right to shape how history is taught in British Columbia schools.

The lawsuit, one of a pair filed in the B.C. Supreme Court this week by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington state, marks a further deterioration in relations between Indigenous groups that once worked together to preserve language and historical traditions. It has also created a new source of cross-border friction at a time of elevated tensions between Canada and the United States.

On Thursday, B.C. Premier David Eby promised to fight back in court, while Clarence Louie, one of Canada’