Ian Campbell (born 1974 or 1975) is an Indigenous Canadian politician. He is one of many hereditary chiefs, also known as head of family, and an elected councillor of the

Squamish Nation The Squamish Nation, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw () in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim (Squamish language), is an Indian Act government originally imposed on the Squamish (''Sḵwx̱wú7mesh'') by the Federal Government of Canada in the late 19th cen ...

. Campbell also serves on the board of MST Development Corporation (MST), a corporate entity which manages real estate properties owned by a partnership between the Musqueam Indian Band, the Squamish Nation, and the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. In 2018, he became the

Vision Vancouver Vision Vancouver is a green liberal municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vision was formed in the months leading up to the 2005 municipal election. Formation Vision was founded by former Coalition of Progressive ...

mayoral candidate for the

2018 Vancouver municipal election The 2018 Vancouver municipal election was held on October 20, 2018, the same day as other municipalities and regional districts in British Columbia selected their new municipal governments. Voters elected a mayor, 10 city councillors, 7 park ...

, but withdrew before the election.

Life and political career

Campbell is a member of the Squamish Nation. He lives in North Vancouver, British Columbia. In the years leading up to the

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

, Campbell was involved in the negotiations for First Nation governments participation in the games, as the Four Host First Nations. In July 2010, Campbell, along with other First Nation leaders, called for Stanley Park to be renamed

X̱wáýx̱way X̱wáýx̱way ( Squamish ) or x̌ʷay̓x̌ʷəy̓ (Halkomelem ), rendered in English as Xway xway and Whoiwhoi, is a First Nations village site, located in what is now Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The village was located o ...

, a historic aboriginal name for the area. In 2014, Campbell was a founding member of MST, participating in negotiations between the Musqueam Indian Band, the Squamish Nation, and the Tsleil-Waututh Nation for joint management of real estate on lands over which the First Nations groups had overlapping claims in the

British Columbia Treaty Process The British Columbia Treaty Process (BCTP) is a land claims negotiation process started in 1993 to resolve outstanding issues, including claims to un-extinguished indigenous rights, with British Columbia's First Nations. Two treaties have been ...

. Based on the corporation's own estimates, MST's properties are valued at more than $1 billion. In 2015, Campbell was one of the first graduates of the Simon Fraser University MBA in Aboriginal Business and Leadership. As a hereditary chief of the Squamish Nation, Campbell has supported the proposed

Woodfibre Woodfibre, originally Britannia West, was a pulp mill and at one time a small company town, on the west side of upper Howe Sound near Squamish, British Columbia. The mill closed in March 2006. History In 1912, a mill opened at the site where Mill ...

LNG project, subject to certain conditions. He has opposed the

Trans Mountain Pipeline The Trans Mountain Pipeline System, or simply the Trans Mountain Pipeline, is a Pipeline transport, pipeline that carries Petroleum, crude and Petroleum product, refined oil from Alberta to the British Columbia Coast, coast of British Columbia, ...

. He was chief when the nation filed a court challenge against the pipeline. In October 2017, Campbell proposed tearing down the Fairmont Academy, a former

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

(RCMP) barracks. He claimed doing so would assist the

reconciliation process Budget reconciliation is a special parliamentary procedure of the United States Congress set up to expedite the passage of certain budgetary legislation in the United States Senate. The procedure overrides the filibuster rules in the Senate, w ...

, citing the historic "marginalization of Indigenous peoples" by the RCMP. In May 2018, Campbell announced that he intended to run for mayor of Vancouver in the 2018 election. Shortly after his announcement, he was confirmed as the Vision Vancouver mayoral candidate, replacing Gregor Robertson, who is not seeking re-election. Campbell campaigned on the promise of expanding the Broadway Skytrain extension to the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

. On September 10, several days before the deadline to file necessary paperwork with Elections BC, Campbell announced that he would be withdrawing from the race. In 2022, Campbell became the chair of the Indigenous Partnerships Success Showcase. Campbell said the annual event provides a platform to advance economic reconciliation and "showcase to broad audiences the progress that has already been made".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Ian 1970s births Living people Indigenous leaders in British Columbia First Nations politicians Politicians from Vancouver Squamish people (individuals)