VIU ElderCollege - Overturning History: The White And Bob Case

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Saturday, September 17th, 2022
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Presenter Dr. Robin Fisher, historian and former provost and Vice-President Academic of Mount Royal University (Calgary), has taught at several Canadian universities and has researched and published on the history of First Nations/newcomer relations in British Columbia. About The Talk The White and Bob case involved two Snuneymuxw men convicted under provincial game regulations for hunting out of season on Mount Benson. They sought to have their conviction overturned in an appeal that tested the fundamental land claims of First Nations people in Canadian law. It was tried in the Nanaimo courthouse in 1964. Their claim was based on a Treaty signed with James Douglas in 1864. For one hundred years the Province of British Columbia had taken the position that there was no such thing as First Nations title to the land: there was simply nothing to discuss. White and Bob overturned that position and initiated another fifty years of litigation before Aboriginal title was established in law. Biography Robin Fisher has been a teacher and administrator in several western Canadian Universities. Though not of First Nations descent, he has been honoured with a Blackfoot name, Stum eek see yaan. He has written several books on the history of British Columbia including the prize winning Contact and Conflict: Indian-European relations in British Columbia: 1778-1890, Duff Pattullo of British Columbia and Wilson Duff: Coming Back, a Life. He lives in Nanaimo and continues to teach in the VIU Elder College Program and is vice-chair of the ElderCollege Board.