Aug 31 - Sept 6, 2020

By Bruce McIvor 

This week's edition includes colonizer statues, COVID-19, national historic sites, Indigenous law, land defence, lobster and more.

 

IN THE NEWS


Child welfare was back in the national spotlight

 

 

The world’s first Indigenous law degree program is set to expand

 

 

Treaty rights and lobster fishing remain hot topics on the east coast

 

 

Land defence continues in Haudenosaunee territory

 

 

COVID-19, Indigenous jurisdiction and salmon stocks topped BC headlines

 

 

Two residential schools were designated as national historic sites

 

 

Colonizer statues continue to topple

 

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK


“It’s hard to imagine that some people would be more concerned about the safety of steel and concrete statues over the health, safety and well being of actual, living human beings who have been excluded, marginalized and oppressed by the violence and racism that these statues represent.”

- Pam Palmater

 

OFF THE BOOKSHELF


"We started dying before the snow, and like the snow, we continued to fall."

- Louise Erdrich, Tracks (1988)

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.
I'm co-presenting a webinar on environmental racism and the law with Chief Cook of Misipawistik Cree Nation on September 10th as part of the Manitoba Eco-Network's fall lecture series.
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 session next month on governance and the applicability of the Charter, please email us at kitchentablechat@firstpeopleslaw.com with your contact information, position and the name of your organization/community.
BACK TO SCHOOL
I’m looking forward to being back at Allard Law at UBC this semester teaching a virtual seminar on the history and future of Aboriginal law.
Check out our new podcast on the defence of Indigenous rights!
Looking to learn more about Indigenous rights in Canada?
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.