May 17-23, 2021

By Bruce McIvor and Cody O'Neil

This week's edition includes self-government, surveillance, Charter rights, Treaty rights, Indigenous law, land claims, repatriation, education, elections and more.

 

IN THE NEWS


Self-government, Charter rights and Indigenous law were front and centre in the Yukon and NWT

 

 

Repatriation, mining and logging topped BC headlines

 

 

Manitoba news included land claims and Treaty rights

 

 

Education, environmental assessment and elections were hot topics in Ontario

 

 

1492 Land Back Lane returned to headlines in Haudenosaunee territory

 

 

Treaty rights and colonial surveillance were back in Nova Scotia news

 

 

Indigenous law revitalization was in the spotlight across the country

 

 

FROM THE COURTS


The Federal Court ruled on election tribunal orders in Treaty 4

 

 

The BC Supreme Court weighed in on interrogatories in Kwikwetlem First Nation’s Aboriginal title action

 

 

The Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench ruled on the availability of judicial review

 

 

The Nova Scotia Supreme Court addressed fishing rights in its recent injunction decision

 

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK


"True, meaningful and lasting reconciliation must include the return of our ancestors back to the Nations where they were taken from.”

- Dan Smith, Wei Wai Kum First Nation

 

OFF THE BOOKSHELF


“We are not looking for a bigger cell with a better view in a federal prison. We want to bust out of this prison and achieve freedom.”

- Hemas Kla-Lee-Lee-Kla, quoted in Bev Sellars, Price Paid: The Fight for First Nations Survival (2016)

 

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.
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.
Looking to learn more about Indigenous rights in Canada? Check out our reading lists!
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.
First Peoples Law 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 principal of First Peoples Law Corporation. 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.