August 23-29, 2021

By Bruce McIvor and Cody O'Neil

This week's edition includes Treaty rights, fishing rights, food sovereignty, consultation, compensation, place names and more.

 

IN THE NEWS


Fishing rights remain front and centre on the west coast

 

 

BC headlines also included mining, forestry and Indigenous law

 

 

Hunting rights, Treaty rights and land management were hot topics in the Yukon and NWT

 

 

Sovereignty and the duty to consult topped Alberta headlines

 

 

Flooding compensation and colonial place names returned to Ontario news

 

 

An important legal challenge is underway in Innu territory

 

 

Lastly, Treaty rights were back in the spotlight south of the 49th

 

 

FIRST PEOPLES LAW IN THE NEWS


A huge thank you to my colleagues for choosing me as "Lawyer of the Year" for Aboriginal law in Vancouver in the Best Lawyers annual survey.

- Bruce

 

FROM THE COURTS


The Ontario Court of Appeal weighed in on the honour of the Crown

 

 

The Supreme Court of Yukon ruled on an application to strike in an Indigenous rights judicial review

 

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK


“If the federal government would meet us at the negotiating tables as directed by their own highest courts, our fisheries would no longer be ‘unauthorized’ in the eyes of the DFO.”

Wickaninnish Cliff Atleo

 

OFF THE BOOKSHELF


“Stealing land is a decidedly non-partisan, intergenerational activity in Canada.”

- Arthur Manuel, Reconciliation Manifesto (2017)

 

BACK TO SCHOOL


Bruce and Kate will be co-teaching a seminar on the history and future of Aboriginal law this semester at UBC.

First Peoples Law is seeking an experienced lawyer to join our growing team dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Deadline: August 31, 2021.
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.
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.
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.
Check out our podcast featuring conversations on the defence of Indigenous rights!
Check out our free e-book Reconciliation on Trial: Wet'suwet'en, Aboriginal Title and the Rule of Law.
Your weekly news update on Indigenous rights from First Peoples Law.
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.