September 27 - October 2, 2022

By Bruce McIvor and Geneva Lloyd

This week’s edition includes Truth and Reconciliation, climate change, class actions, land protection and more.  

 

IN THE NEWS


Truth and Reconciliation was in the national spotlight  

 

 

Climate resiliency returned to national and international headlines 

 


BC headlines included title claims and land protection 

 

 

Co-management and national parks were front and centre in N.W.T. 

 

 

Quebec news featured Indigenous law and provincial elections 

 

 

Consultation and self-governance topped headlines in Ontario 

 

 

Residential school and child welfare class actions were back in the headlines 

 

 

I was interviewed by the Globe and Mail about Land Back and sovereignty for National Truth and Reconciliation Day 

 

 

FROM THE COURTS


Courts weighed in on economic and property rights 

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS!


Congratulations to Casey Caines, the 2022 recipient of First Peoples Law's Indigenous Law Student Scholarship! Meet Casey and the honourable mentions on our website here

 

HOT OFF THE PRESS


Check out my colleague Kate Gunn’s post for the University of Calgary Faculty of Law’s ABlawg on the upcoming Bill C-92 reference at the Supreme Court, now available here

 

Kate also published a piece on treaties for the fall edition of Rooted: Resurgence, you can read it here

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK


“We need more education, we need more awareness, for everybody, but mainly to non-Indigenous elected people, they need to see us differently, they need to know us differently so they can see us as the solution of the future."  

- Atikamekw Grand Chief Constant Awashish 

 

OFF THE BOOKSHELF


"We know what it is to be lied to, and we know how important it is not to lie to ourselves.” 
 
- Audre Lorde, Sister Outsider (1984)

 

 

First Peoples Law is excited to announce a major expansion in Ontario. Sign up for our newsletter to get the details straight to your inbox on October 4.
First Peoples Law is seeking additions to our growing team dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
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.
Bruce McIvor's clear, plain answers to frequently asked questions about Indigenous rights.
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 podcast featuring conversations on the defence of Indigenous rights.
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, is a Fulbright Scholar and author of Standoff: Why Reconciliation Fails Indigenous People and How to Fix It. He is a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation.