Sept 21-27, 2020

By Bruce McIvor and Cody O'Neil

This week's edition includes UNDRIP, the honour of the Crown, the duty to consult, fish farms, colonial policing, cannabis and more.

 

IN THE NEWS


Mi'kmaq Treaty rights continue to top headlines across the country

 

 

Racism was on full display amid a moose hunting moratorium in Algonquin territory

 

 

A longstanding land claim was settled in Saugeen Ojibway territory

 

 

Colonial policing of Indigenous land defenders continues in Haudenosaunee territory 

 

 

Forest management and environmental assessment are at the centre of two new lawsuits in Ontario

 

 

Fish farms, cannabis and Indigenous rights were front and centre in BC

 

 

Indigenous laws and jurisdiction were in the spotlight at the Supreme Court’s carbon tax hearings

 

 

Lastly, the throne speech included a promise to introduce UNDRIP legislation

 

 

FROM THE COURTS


The Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador weighed in on the duty to consult, fiduciary duty and the honour of the Crown

 

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK


“We are calling on the Minister to stop sitting on the sidelines, and immediately address the violent, racist attacks and threats against Mi’kmaq fishers by non-Indigenous fishers. Now is not the time for complacency and lackadaisical leadership in the face of rights suppression, and blatant racism, endangering the lives and livelihoods of Indigenous peoples in Canada.”

- BCAFN Regional Chief Terry Teegee and AFN Regional Chief Roger Augustine

 

OFF THE BOOKSHELF


“...a man’s virtue may be but the defect of his desire, as his crime may be but a function of his virtue.”

- Robert Penn Warren, All the King’s Men (1946)

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."
KITCHEN TABLE CHATS
First Peoples Law is hosting a series of “Kitchen Table Chats” for Indigenous people to share information and develop strategies to defend their title and rights and uphold their laws and governance. If you’d like to register for our upcoming session on Indigenous food sovereignty in the time of COVID-19, please email us at kitchentablechat@firstpeopleslaw.com with your contact information, position and the name of your organization/community.
In case you missed it, meet the recipient of our 2020 Indigenous Law Student Scholarship.
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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.