Indigenous Legal Orders Conference 2024: Language, Culture, and Transforming Legal Institutions


Course Date: June 14, 2024

Full Course Materials
Total: 5h 46min
Total Ethics: 2h
Course Agenda ▼
Welcome and Land Acknowledgement (9:00 – 9:15)
 
Elder Carleen Thomas — Tsleil-Waututh Nation, North Vancouver
Teresa Sheward — Program Lawyer, CLEBC, Vancouver
Leah Sisi-ya-ama George-Wilson — Miller Titerle + Company LLP, Vancouver
Dr. Sarah Morales (Su-taxwiye) — Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Victoria, Victoria
 
Coast Salish Legal Protocol: Witnessing Ceremony (9:15 – 9:45)
 
Speaker George Harris, Sr. (Whul Qul Latza) — Stz'uminus First Nation, Ladysmith
Kalila George-Wilson — Language and Culture Consultant, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, North Vancouver
 
Witnesses:
The Honourable Grand Chief Steven L. Point, OBC (Xwĕ lī qwĕl tĕl) — Stó:lô Nation, Abbotsford
Halie Kwanxwa'loga Bruce — Cedar and Sage Law Corporation, Cultus Lake
Lavatta Frank — Songhees Wellness Centre, Victoria
Aaron Wilson — Mandell Pinder LLP, Vancouver
 
Language, Stories, and Legal Orders: Indigenous Language and Law Revitalization (9:45 – 10:45) (virtual presentation)
 
  • introduction to Indigenous law revitalization methodologies, particularly the story/narrative method and linguistic methods
  • illustration of meta-principle and story-clustering methods using the Glooscap Project (law revitalization project in progress in Nova Scotia)
Naiomi Metallic — Associate Professor of Law; Chancellor's Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy, Aboriginal Law Certificate Coordinator, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Halifax
 
BREAK (10:45 – 11:00)
 
Transforming Existing Legal Institutions: The Cowichan Example (11:00 – 12:00)
 
  • how Indigenous laws can transform legal institutions and processes
Robert B. Morales — Chair, First Nations Summit Chief Negotiators Forum;  Negotiator/Lawyer, Cowichan Tribes, Duncan
 
LUNCH (12:00 – 1:30) with Featured Speaker (12:40 – 1:10)
 
Keynote: "Pluralism and Inclusion"
The Honourable Chief Justice Leonard S. Marchand — Chief Justice of BC, Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal for BC, and Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal of Yukon
 
Creating New Legal Institutions: Sto:lo Qwí:qwelstóm Justice Program (1:30 – 2:30)
 
  • my journey through the justice system and alternative justice
  • identifying and defining Sto:lo law
  • laying the foundation for resolution processes through perspectives of Sto:lo law
  • how Indigenous laws can create new legal institutions and processes
The Honourable Grand Chief Steven L. Point, OBC (Xwĕ lī qwĕl tĕl) — Stó:lô Nation, Abbotsford
 
BREAK (2:30 – 2:45)
 
Language, Culture, and Legal Orders (2:45 – 3:45)
 
  • preservation and revitalization of languages
  • how and why we need language in our legal orders
  • why it is difficult to translate some concepts
  • young people who are doing great work in this area
  • a young person's perspective: often asked to translate
  • the Elders' perspective: being mindful of using our language in a good way
Speaker George Harris, Sr. (Whul Qul Latza) — Stz'uminus First Nation, Ladysmith
Daniella Harris-David — Stz'uminus First Nation, Ladysmith
Kalila George-Wilson — Language and Culture Consultant, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, North Vancouver
 
The Way Forward: Reflections from Witnesses (3:45 – 4:15)
 
Witnesses:
The Honourable Grand Chief Steven L. Point, OBC (Xwĕ lī qwĕl tĕl) — Stó:lô Nation, Abbotsford
Halie Kwanxwa'loga Bruce — Cedar and Sage Law Corporation, Cultus Lake
Lavatta Frank — Songhees Wellness Centre, Victoria
Aaron Wilson — Mandell Pinder LLP, Vancouver
 
Closing Comments (4:15 – 4:30)
 
Leah Sisi-ya-ama George-Wilson — Miller Titerle + Company LLP, Vancouver
Dr. Sarah Morales (Su-taxwiye) — Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Victoria, Victoria