TRC Calls to Action: #50

Reconciliation
Equity for Aboriginal Peoples in the Legal System

50. In keeping with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal organizations, to fund the establishment of Indigenous law institutes for the development, use, and
understanding of Indigenous laws and access to justice in accordance with the unique cultures of Aboriginal peoples in Canada.

As of yet, the federal government has not funded the establishment of Indigenous law programs, though it has had some requests for funding (from UVic, for example, which offers a program combining the study of Indigenous and non-Indigenous law, from which students will graduate with degrees in Canadian common law and Indigenous legal orders.) 

The Federation of Law Societies of Canada has created an advisory committee to develop recommendations on this and other Calls pertaining to Canadian and Indigenous laws.