Canada pizza bill misleadingly linked to Australia Indigenous 'Voice' referendum

"Just received the attached copy of a restaurant receipt from a friend holidaying in Canada," reads a Facebook post shared on July 15, 2023.

The photo shows a bill for a meal at Basic Goodness Pizzeria, a restaurant in Tofino, British Columbia in Canada, which includes an 80-cent tax labelled "The land you are on (1%)" (archived link).

The post claims the surcharge is part of a "Canadian Govt initiative" that will see 0.8 percent of the country's gross domestic product directed towards Indigenous people for "land rent". It claims the average homeowner will pay around 400 Canadian dollars (300 USD) per year to "decolonise their backyard".

"It is presently voluntary and operating in BC, but expectations are that it will become Countrywide and compulsory in due course," the post adds.

"Vote for the voice by all means friends, but know what you are voting for and what will follow," the post adds.

'The voice' appears to be a reference to an upcoming referendum in Australia on giving Indigenous communities a constitutionally enshrined "voice" so they are consulted by the government on laws that impact them.

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Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post, captured on August 1, 2023

The same photo was also shared in a Facebook post urging Australians to "Vote NO for the Voice". The post claimed the surcharge was added to "all bills to pay rent for the land".

Other posts linking the surcharge to Australia's upcoming referendum were shared on Facebook here, here and here, as well as by a New Zealand-based user on Twitter, which is being rebranded as "X".

According to a dedicated Australian government website, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice would give independent advice to parliament and government on matters relating to their communities (archived link).

It would not manage funds or deliver services, and would not have veto power.

AFP has debunked misinformation around the referendum -- including supposed policies that will follow if the country votes to grant Indigenous people a voice in parliament -- here, here and here.

Tribal Park Allies

The one-percent charge on the bill in the photo is not part of a Canadian government initiative to collect "land rent" and give money to Indigenous people.

The bottom of the restaurant bill shows an explanation as to why the one-percent charge is added.

"As Tribal Park Allies, Basic Goodness adds 1% to your bill in support of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation's vision to conserve + revitalize Tribal Parks + culture," it says.

The Tla-o-qui-aht are Indigenous people who have historically occupied land on the west coast of Vancouver Island, around Tofino (archived link).

Julian Hockin-Grant, a Tribal Parks Allies representative, said the scheme was a voluntary programme for businesses and organisations in Tofino and not a Canadian government initiative (archived link).

He said the money collected through the charge added to bills in participating businesses has funded projects such as rainforest protection programmes and food hamper programmes during the Covid-19 pandemic (archived link).

"Government has no say in how this fee is collected or used," he told AFP on July 22.

Hockin-Grant also described the post's claim that the charge would direct 0.8 percent of Canada's GDP to First Nations people is a "fabrication".

'Decolonising backyards'

The post also incorrectly conflates the charge with a separate "decolonize your backyard" programme aimed at encouraging people to recognise indigenous land rights.

"Decolonize your backyards" is the tagline of the Reciprocity Trusts initiative.

According to an article in the Canadian newspaper the Times Colonist, the trust allows homeowners and businesses to make voluntary payments to support indigenous land rights (archived link).

The chair of the Reciprocity Trusts Society Naomi Devine said the programme was neither a government initiative nor compulsory (archived link).

"Reciprocity payments are voluntary and tax deductible," she told AFP on July 26.

"What people pay depends on the value of their home. For homeowners, the total recommended payment is equal to approximately 1 percent of your property taxes per month (12 percent of your annual property tax)."

She added that the programme was not linked to Tribal Park Allies.