April 18-24, 2022

By Bruce McIvor and Cody O'Neil

This week’s edition includes UNDRIP, Treaty rights, language rights, policing, elections, data sovereignty and more.

 

IN THE NEWS


Harvesting rights returned to east coast news 

 

 

Treaty rights were front and centre in Quebec and Ontario

 

 

First Nations policing was back in Alberta news 

 

 

Litigation, UNDRIP and Aboriginal title topped BC headlines

 

 

Data sovereignty was a hot topic in the NWT 

 

 

Lastly, language rights were in the spotlight across the country 

 

 

FROM THE COURTS


Here is the Federal Court’s latest election decision 

 

 

APPLY NOW: INTRODUCTION TO THE DEFENCE OF INDIGENOUS RIGHTS


First Peoples Law is offering an introductory course on the defence of Indigenous rights for leadership and staff of Indigenous governments and organizations. This in-person course is a practical, how-to course that provides participants with useful tools and strategies to defend their community’s Indigenous rights.  

Dates: June 10 (evening only) - June 12, 2022 

Location: Vancouver, BC 

Cost: $1,200/person  

Fee includes welcome dinner, refreshments and snacks. It does not include accommodation, travel or lunch.

Course capacity: 10 participants. Participation will be limited to 2 people per community/organization. 

To learn more and apply, click here. Applications close May 15, 2022.

 

 

FIRST PEOPLES LAW IN THE NEWS


I’m humbled and honoured to have my book, Standoff, reviewed here in Literary Review of Canada.

Thanks to Not Your Average Law Job for the feature in your “Happy Lawyer” series.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS


I’m looking forward to joining a wonderful panel at the “Renewables in Remote Communities” conference this Tuesday in Whitehorse. Hope to see some of you there.

 

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK


"Come on B.C., give your head a shake and show us some true reconciliation!" 

- Councillor Robert John, Nuchatlaht First Nation

 

OFF THE BOOKSHELF


“...someone who does not love you cannot name you right...” 

- Aracelis Girmay, “The Black Maria” in The Black Maria (2016)

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.
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.
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.