NEWS
Monday, October 27, 2014 5
Indigenous Bar Association 26th Annual Conference
Enriching Canada with Indigenous Laws and Perspectives
scott franks › contributor
T
h e o s g o o d e i n d i g e n o u s Students
Association (OISA) attended the Indigenous
Bar Association’s (IBA) 26th annual conference in Calgary on October 2 to 4th. Elder
Clarence Wolfleg welcomed the IBA back to the location of its first conference, and introduced participants to Treaty 7 territory with prayer and smudging
from a sitting position. All were welcomed to the
conference by a drum song performed by men from
the Siksika Nation. Eight members of OISA’s executive attended the conference to learn more about
how Indigenous legal traditions and perspectives
can enrich traditional legal education and courts in
Canada.
Co-presidents Jessica George and Scott Franks
presented OISA and Osgoode’s achievements and
plans to the Indigenous law student associations
attending from the University of British Columbia,
University of Saskatchewan, University of Calgary,
and University of Toronto, among others. Indigenous
student leaders at other law schools asked about
developing Aboriginal law camps similar to Osgoode’s
first annual Anishinaabe Law Camp, and in moving
towards a career panel model that OISA will promote in the winter term. Jessica and Scott will bring
the experiences and initiatives of other student associations back to Osgoode, which include ideas for an
Indigenous student-mentoring program, financing,
enriched curriculum, bringing cultural activities to
combat student stress, and speaker series. OISA also
looks forward to increased partnerships with the
other Indigenous Student’s Associations – especially
University of Toronto – hoping there can be more collaboration between our schools.
The main conference focused on the question of
how Indigenous legal traditions and perspectives
might enrich traditional legal education, courts,
and communities in Canada. The Honourable Justice
Murray Sinclair questioned the assumption whether
Canada should or can be enriched by Indigenous laws
and customs. Justice Sinclair emphasized the importance of Indigenous laws and traditions to Indigenous
peoples, communities, and practitioners. Lawyers
David Nahwegahbow and Jean Teillet reflected on
“hunting for justice” in the Canadian courts, on the
uncertainty of “wins” and “losses” in Aboriginal law,
and the viability of the courts for achieving “justice.”
Highly relevant to institutions like Osgoode Hall
Law School, John Borrows, Jeffrey Hewitt, Tracey
Lindberg, Sakej Henderson and others shared their
expe