Nov 30 - Dec 6, 2020

By Bruce McIvor and Cody O'Neil

This week's edition includes UNDRIP, mining, hunting, fishing, colonial surveillance, systemic racism, reindeer and more.

 

IN THE NEWS


The federal government tabled its UNDRIP bill

 

 

COVID-19 remains front and centre across the country

 

 

Colonial surveillance and boil water advisories were back in the national spotlight 

 

 

Sipekne’katik First Nation continues to defend its Treaty rights in Mi’kma’ki

 

 

Indigenous jurisdiction was a hot topic in Ontario and Manitoba

 

 

BC news included systemic racism, salmon stocks and UNDRIP

 

 

Mining, reindeer and Treaty rights topped headlines in the Yukon and NWT

 

 

FROM THE COURTS


The Specific Claims Tribunal stayed Witchekan Lake First Nation’s claim regarding reserve creation

 

 

The Federal Court quashed Little Grand Rapids First Nation’s decision to remove a councillor

 

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK


"Anything that the UN passes or Canada passes does not take away our right to self-determination or does not take away our sovereignty. Our sovereignty is inherent, and will always be there."

- Kenneth Deer, Secretary, Mohawk Nation at Kahnawake

 

OFF THE BOOKSHELF


“...there are some things for which three words are three too many, and three thousand words that many too less...”

- William Faulkner, Absalom, Absalom! (1936)

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.
Check out our latest podcast episode "Reclaiming the Law: Indigenous Law Students in Conversation."
Looking to learn more about Indigenous rights in Canada?
Check out our latest e-book Reconciliation on Trial: Wet'suwet'en, Aboriginal Title and the Rule of Law.
My colleague Kate Gunn and I recently had the honour of representing the Indigenous Bar Association on their intervention in the Desautel appeal at the Supreme Court of Canada. Check out my blog post on our submissions, including a video recording.
Your weekly news update from First Peoples Law.
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. Bruce is a proud Métis from the Red River in Manitoba. He holds a Ph.D. in Aboriginal and environmental history and is a Fulbright Scholar. 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.