Governor James Douglas

Sir James Douglas was initially appointed Chief Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company for Vancouver Island a post he held when the Crown Colony was proclaimed in 1850. On 16 May 1851 Douglas was appointed governor and vice-admiral of Vancouver Island and its dependencies.   One of Douglas’s main concerns was Indian policy.  Governor Douglas held the firm fundamental principle “that native people have the right to use and to occupy their traditional lands or to receive compensation for the loss of these lands. (This principle was outlined in the Royal Proclamation of 1763 which promoted and clarified the rights of native peoples over their traditional territories. It is often described as the "Charter of Indian Rights.") In the later part of the 1800s, Douglas negotiated fourteen treaties with native nations on Vancouver Island and provided instructions for reserve creation to his magistrates for the remaining parts of the province.

James Douglas Biography

Douglas Photograph and information

More about James Douglas