Jan 31 - Feb 6, 2022

By Bruce McIvor and Cody O'Neil

This week’s edition includes Treaty rights, gaming laws, consultation, consent, child welfare, land-based learning, new appeals and more.

 

IN THE NEWS


Mining, consent and Aboriginal rights were back in BC news 

 

 

A First Nations school board is being established in the Yukon

 

 

Alberta headlines included consultation, carbon capture and child welfare

 

 

Bison made a return to Treaty 4 in Saskatchewan 

 

 

Treaty rights and land sales were front and centre in Manitoba 

 

 

In Ontario, systemic racism and gaming laws were in the spotlight

 

 

Thank you to my friend Cheryl Maloney for the invitation and my incredible fellow panelists at Sipekne’katik First Nation’s symposium yesterday

 

 

FROM THE COURTS


The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal found discrimination in police funding

 

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK


"We have to stop denying it, there is systemic racism towards First Nations and governments must act to stop it."

- Chief Gilbert Dominique, Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation

 

OFF THE BOOKSHELF


“But come here, fear / I am alive and you are so afraid / of dying.”

- Joy Harjo, “I Give You Back” in She Had Some Horses (1983)

Faced with a constant stream of news reports of standoffs and confrontations, Canada’s “reconciliation project” has obviously gone off the rails. In this series of concise and thoughtful essays, lawyer and historian Bruce McIvor explains why reconciliation with Indigenous peoples is failing and what needs to be done to fix it.
First Peoples Law is the author of Annotated Aboriginal Law, previously authored by legendary law professor Shin Imai for over two decades. The book includes hundreds of annotations of significant court decisions and federal legislation regarding Indigenous rights in Canada. We hope it continues to be a useful resource for Indigenous Peoples defending and advancing their rights across the country.
Check out our new podcast episode featuring a conversation between First Peoples Law's Indigenous Law Student Scholarship winners!
We are providing a list of resources for anyone looking to get informed about the truth of Residential Schools shared by Survivors across the country. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list. We would welcome any feedback or recommendations.
Your weekly news update on Indigenous rights from First Peoples Law.
First Peoples Law LLP is a law firm dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. We work closely with First Nations to defend their Aboriginal title, rights and Treaty rights, uphold their Indigenous laws and governance and ensure economic prosperity for their members.
Bruce McIvor, lawyer and historian, is partner at First Peoples Law LLP. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Allard School of Law where he teaches the constitutional law of Aboriginal and Treaty rights. A member of the bar in British Columbia and Ontario, Bruce is recognized nationally and internationally as a leading practitioner of Aboriginal law in Canada. Bruce's ancestors took Métis scrip at Red River in Manitoba. He holds a law degree, a Ph.D. in Aboriginal and environmental history, and is a Fulbright Scholar. He is a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation.