Truth and Reconciliation - Law Society of Alberta

Home
Resource Centre
Key Resources
Truth and Reconciliation

These resources support Alberta lawyers in understanding the historical and current impacts that Canadian law has on Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) in Canada and participating in reconciliation.

If you have feedback on any resource, please email Education.

Resource	Description	Topic	Audience	Format	Publisher
But I Was Wearing a Suit	This is a mini-documentary about the racism that Indigenous lawyers and law students face within the legal profession, and provides an opportunity for us to examine ourselves as a profession and take steps to correct unconscious bias and stereotypes about Indigenous Peoples.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Video	External Source
Bill C-92: The Good, The Bad & The Unknowns – Part II	In this 2021 video, Cindy Blackstock, Hadley Friedland and Koren Lightning-Earle address emerging issues, including those pertaining to jurisdiction, national standards, and the government’s ongoing non-compliance with elements of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal’s ruling on First Nations child welfare, as it relates to Bill C-92.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples, Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Video	External Source
The Complainant: The Canadian Human Rights Case on First Nations Child Welfare	This paper describes the historic First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada et al. v. Attorney General of Canada case, regarding the government's inequitable provision of child welfare services to First Nations children, from the perspective of the executive director of the complainant. Recommendations for reform are also discussed.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples, Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Paper/Journal	External Source
An Inside Job: Engaging with Indigenous Legal Traditions through Stories	This paper introduces one supplemental method to work towards revitalization and recognition of Indigenous laws, which is considered essential to reconciliation in Canada.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Paper/Journal	External Source
Heroes, Tricksters, Monsters, and Caretakers: Indigenous Law and Legal Education	This paper explores how law professors and others might best teach Indigenous peoples’ law.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Paper/Journal	External Source
Postcolonial Indigenous Legal Consciousness	This paper discusses the establishment of an innovative postcolonial Indigenous legal consciousness based on Aboriginal teaching and law.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Paper/Journal	External Source
Reflective Frameworks: Methods for Accessing Understanding and Applying Indigenous Laws	This paper addresses the question of how might legal scholarship assist with the practical tasks of finding, understanding and applying Indigenous laws today.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Paper/Journal	External Source
Gathering The Threads: Developing A Methodology For Researching And Rebuilding Indigenous Legal Traditions	This paper explores how we can begin to engage constructively with Indigenous legal traditions to substantively identify and articulate Indigenous laws.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Paper/Journal	External Source
The Duty to Learn: Taking Account of Indigenous Legal Orders in Practice	The Honourable Chief Justice Lance S.G. Finch of the Court of Appeal for B.C. discusses how legal practitioners and society can make space within the legal landscape for Indigenous legal orders.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Article, Paper/Journal	External Source
Cultural Competency: A Necessary Skill for the 21st Century Attorney	Cultural competency is an essential skillset for the 21st century lawyer who seeks to deliver effective advocacy and serve justice. This paper defines cultural competency and how it can be applied to the work of a lawyer.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Paper/Journal	External Source
Decolonizing and Indigenizing: Some Considerations for Law Schools	This paper considers whether "Indigenizing" curriculum is coming at the expense of addressing the need to decolonize law schools as institutions. The author argues that both Indigenizing and decolonizing are a vital coupling if full meaning is to be given to the TRC's Calls to Action.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Paper/Journal	External Source
From Stonechild to Social Cohesion: Anti-Racist Challenges for Saskatchewan	This paper considers the conclusions of Mr. Justice David Wright's report on the inquiry into the death of Neil Stonechild, and discusses the incident in the context of Aboriginal-settler relations in Saskatchewan.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples, Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Paper/Journal	External Source
Reconciliation and Ethical Lawyering: Some Thoughts on Cultural Competence	This paper critically examines the turn to cultural competence as a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action 27 and 28.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Government & Non-Profit, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm	Paper/Journal	External Source
Reconciliation in Translation: Indigenous Legal Traditions and Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission	This paper offers one possible method for outsiders to engage with Indigenous traditions in a way that goes beyond the limitations of superficial forms of recognition in which equivalence is too quickly assumed.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Paper/Journal	External Source
Truth and Reconciliation Toolkit for Firms	This Toolkit was developed to help firms learn to be a better ally, engage with Indigenous advisors, recruit and retain Indigenous talent, and more. This Toolkit can be used as a guide to begin or extend a firms Reconciliation journey. Each curated section includes examples, templates and important links.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Guide, Website	External Source
The Pedagogy of Trauma-Informed Lawyering	This paper proposes that teaching trauma-informed practice in law school clinics furthers the goals of clinical teaching, and is a critical aspect of preparing law students for legal careers.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Paper/Journal	External Source
Delivering on Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action	This Government of Canada website reports on the progress in responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 94 Calls to Action.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Website	External Source
Communicating Effectively with Indigenous Clients	This Guide outlines obstacles that confront Indigenuous clients when building a relationship with their counsel and when appearing in court and alert the reader to how linguistic prejudice can disadvantage their clients.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Guide	External Source
Guide for Lawyers Working with Indigenous Peoples, and First Supplement	This Guide is intended to be a starting resource to help lawyers and others in the justice system to learn about Indigenous cultures and understand the interplay between Indigenous legal orders and the Canadian legal system.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples, Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Guide	External Source
Indigenous Peoples: Language Guidelines	This Guide is intended to help navigate the different terminology and usages associated with Indigenous Peoples	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples, Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Guide	External Source
The BANG You Feel	The BANG You Feel is a documentary film that examines the challenges faced by women who are trying to rebuild to their lives after being released from prison.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Video	External Source
2 Crees in a Pod	2 Crees in a Pod, unapologetically creates space for Indigenous resurgence. The host's intention is to disrupt western colonial systems and honor Indigenous helping practices.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Podcast	External Source
The Secret Life of Canada	The Secret Life of Canada is a podcast about the country you know and the stories you don't. Join hosts Leah-Simone Bowen and Falen Johnson as they reveal the beautiful, terrible and weird histories of this land.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Podcast	External Source
Trauma-Informed Legal Practice Toolkit	This resource outlines what trauma-informed legal practice is, why lawyers and judges need to understand the impacts of trauma, why law schools need to teach trauma-informed practice and what trauma-informed practice looks like in the lawyer-client relationship and in the courtroom.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples, Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	In-House, Private Practice, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm	Guide	External Source
The Trauma-Informed Lawyer	Myrna McCallum and her guests shine a light on a critical ethical competency for lawyers, trauma-informed lawyering. This do-no-further-harm, relational approach to the practice of law provides education in trauma, resilience, compassion, empathy, humility, boundaries, vicarious trauma and good professional relationship strategies.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples, Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Podcast	External Source
The Lifeworlds of Law: On Revitalizing Indigenous Legal Orders Today	What ultimately counts as law and as the legitimate processes of its generation, adjustment, and destruction are both empowered and constrained by the constitutional order from which they derive life. A constitutional framework, in turn, reflects unique understandings about what there is and how one can know: a lifeworld. Reflecting on his own experience, the author emphasizes how legal education harms when it fails to acknowledge and to begin to articulate the lifeworld beneath any system of law it aims to impart.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Paper/Journal	External Source
Waniskā: Reimagining The Future With Indigenous Legal Traditions	This paper mindfully uses narrative as a means to vulnerably re-imagine a future relationship between Indigenous and other legal traditions in Canada.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Paper/Journal	External Source
Gladue at Twenty: Gladue Principles in the Professional Discipline of Indigenous Lawyers	This paper explores the applicability of Gladue principles for Indigenous lawyers in the context of a regulator's disciplinary process.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples, Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Paper/Journal	External Source
Indigenous Peoples and the Law: A Guide to Restorative Justice and Indigenous Courts	In this 2021 video, Legal Aid Alberta lawyers Grace Auger and Jessica Buffalo and justice navigator Stephen Shirt explain how Indigenous Courts and restorative justice work.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Video	External Source
The Gladue Principles: A Guide to the Jurisprudence	This Guide outlines how greater action can be taken to implement the Gladue Principles, including deciding how to act in relation to an Indigenous accused and strive to find justice through a deep understanding of the intersection of colonialism and criminal justice.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples, Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book, Guide	External Source
The Witness Blanket	Inspired by a woven blanket, the Witness Blanket is a large-scale work of art that contains hundreds of items reclaimed from residential schools, churches, government buildings and traditional and cultural structures from across Canada. Explore the items and stories carried by the Witness Blanket.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples, Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Website	External Source
How Lawyers can be Good Allies – The Principles of Allyship	This resource explains what allyship is and is not and provides steps on becoming an ally and ideas on implementing Indigenous Allyship in law firms.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Sole Practitioner/Small Firm, Private Practice, In-House, Management	Article, Guide	External Source
Indigenous Court Connected Services in Alberta	A list of Indigenous Court Services with contact information in Alberta	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Private Practice, Management, Government & Non-Profit, In-House	Guide	Law Society of Alberta
Indigenous Education Series: Guide for Lawyers Working with Indigenous Peoples	Hear David Nahwegahbowmore and Racquel Fraser talk about practical tips and the guide created to assist lawyers and other legal advisors, and litigation counsel in particular, as they work with Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples) and Indigenous issues in Canada.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples, Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Private Practice, Management, Government & Non-Profit, In-House	Video	Law Society of Alberta
Indigenous Education Series: TRC 101	Hear Kathleen Mahoney, KC, lead negotiator for the Assembly of First Nations in designing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), talk about what the TRC is, where it came from and why it is so important.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples, Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Management, Private Practice, Government & Non-Profit, In-House	Video	Law Society of Alberta
Journey to the Law National Indigenous People's Day Webinar	On June 21, 2023, the Law Society hosted a webinar in recognition of Indigenous People’s Day. Hosted by Jessica Buffalo, the Law Society’s Indigenous Counsel, Jessica Buffalo, Tayla Basawa, Katelynn Cave and Krysia Przepiorka discuss their personal experiences, issues in the profession, key resources and how to continue to move forward in their journeys.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples, Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Private Practice, Management, Government & Non-Profit, In-House	Webinar	Law Society of Alberta
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada	Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) works to renew the nation-to-nation, Inuit-Crown, government-to-government relationship between Canada and First Nations, Inuit and Métis; modernize Government of Canada structures to enable Indigenous peoples to build capacity and support their vision of self-determination; and lead the Government of Canada's work in the North. Recommended resources to review include the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Private Practice, Management, Government & Non-Profit, In-House	Article, Guide	External Source
Cultural IQ and Indigenous Cultural Competence Resource	This resource contains information about the lived experiences of members from equity-deserving groups, explanations of unconscious bias and tools for tackling it, what it means to cultivate cultural competency and increase your cultural IQ, and suggestions on how to reduce barriers of entry and retention in the legal profession.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Private Practice, Management	Article, Guide	Law Society of Alberta
Wahkohtowin Law and Governance Lodge Resource Library	The Wahkohtowin Law and Governance Lodge provides accessible public legal education resources to support the development, use and understanding of Indigenous laws.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples, Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Private Practice, Management, Government & Non-Profit, In-House	Article, Video	External Source
Land Acknowledgment Guide	The Land Acknowledgement Guide is designed to provide you with an overview of the things you may consider and include when writing a land acknowledgement.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Private Practice, Management, Government & Non-Profit, In-House	Article, Guide	Law Society of Alberta

Educational resources in this section are intended for the legal profession as an aid and are not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice. Readers must exercise their professional judgment about the accuracy, utility and applicability of the material. The Law Society of Alberta and Alberta Lawyers Indemnity Association (ALIA) accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions in any resource. If you find any information that is unclear, inaccurate or outdated, please send an email with details to Education.

Any third-party resources are suggested for information and reference only. The Law Society and ALIA are not responsible for the accuracy, content or information contained in these sites. Views expressed in these resources are the views of the authors individually and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Law Society or ALIA.