June 5 - 11, 2024

Applications for our 2025-2026 articling program are now open. We are seeking articling students for our Vancouver and Ottawa offices. Learn more and apply here.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

I don’t want to call it an ‘uprising’ ... It was the defending of the territories and the defending of our laws, and the defending of who we are."
- Joel Starlund/Sk’a’nism Tsa ‘Win’Giit, Executive Director of the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs

OFF THE BOOKSHELF

Names have power. This is the fundamental principle of magic everywhere. Call out the name of a supernatural being, and you will have its instant and undivided attention in the same way that your lost toddler will have yours the second it calls your name."
- Eden Robinson, Monkey Beach (2000)

Applications now Open!

As part of our commitment to supporting the development of Indigenous lawyers, First Peoples Law offers an annual scholarship to an Indigenous law student with a demonstrated commitment to serving and advancing the interests of Indigenous Peoples. Applications for this year's $10,000 scholarship are now open until July 31, 2024.

Apply Now

Join our Team!

First Peoples Law is seeking additions to our growing team dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

learn more

Indigenous Peoples and the Law in Canada 2024

First Peoples Law is the author of Indigenous Peoples and the Law in Canada: Cases and Commentary. 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.

AVAILABLE HERE

Indigenous Rights in One Minute

Bruce McIvor's clear, plain answers to frequently asked questions about Indigenous rights.

START LEARNING

Standoff

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.

Residential School Reading List

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.

READING LIST

First Peoples Lawcast

Check out our podcast featuring conversations on the defence of Indigenous rights.

LISTEN HERE

First Peoples Law Report

Your weekly news update on Indigenous rights from First Peoples Law.

Who We Are

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.

CHAT WITH US

Bruce McIvor

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.

CONNECT

June 5 - 11, 2024

This week’s edition includes MMIWG2S+ calls for justice, economic development, education, consultation, repatriation, fisheries and more.

IN THE NEWS

National news included MMIWG2S+ calls for justice and housing

East Coast headlines featured economic development and forest conservation

Education and language requirements were front and centre in Québec

Environmental contamination, the Ring of Fire, consultation, and a space for the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation in the Parliamentary precinct made headlines in Ontario

In Manitoba, repatriation was the top story

Saskatchewan headlines highlighted MMIWG2S+ and the contributions of Cree soldiers to D-Day

Repatriation and emergency management were top stories in Alberta

BC headlines included land disputes, pipeline opposition, policing, fisheries, and UNDRIP

Remediation made the news in Yukon

In case you missed it, check out our new blog series, What We're Watching, featuring great books, podcasts, films and music by Indigenous writers and artists

ARTICLE WITH FIRST PEOPLES LAW

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

OFF THE BOOKSHELF

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