Truth and Reconciliation - Law Society of Alberta

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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.

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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
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
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
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
Acknowledging Land and People	This map shows the approximate locations of the First Nations and the approximate area of treaty land as there is no consensus between rights holders and stakeholders about exact treaty boundaries.	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
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
Canada's Indigenous Constitution by John Borrows	This book uses the view of understanding and improving legal processes in Canada to explore legal traditoins, the role of governments and courts and the prospect of a multi-juridicial legal culture.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
Indigenous People and the Criminal Justice System: A Practitioner's Handbook by Jonathan Rudin	This handbook outlines a practical review of leading case law and day-to-day considerations for practitioners who work with Indigenous clients.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Management, Private Practice, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
Peace and Good Order: The Case for Indigenous Justice in Canada by Harold R. Johnson	Peace and Good Order is part autobiographical tale of Harold R. Johnson's life as an Indigenous Crown prosecutor and part scathing indictment of Canada's criminal justice system. It is a timely and provocative read about the frustrating absence of meaningful reconciliation, the moral complexities of criminal law, and the havoc it can wreak on entire communities.	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	External Source
A National Crime: The Canadian Government and the Residential School System, 1879 to 1986 (1999) by John S. Milloy	Using previously unreleased government documents, historian John S. Milloy provides a full picture of the history and reality of the residential school 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	Book	External Source
Dying to Please You: Indigenous Suicide in Contemporary Canada (2017) by Roland David Chrisjohn and Shaunessy M. McKay with Andrea O. Smith	This book provides an in-depth look at the crisis of Indigenous suicide in Canada. It compels us to rethink our definition of suicide and treatment methods, and re-examine the political and primary cause of Indigenous suicide.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
From Where I Stand: Rebuilding Indigenous Nations for a Stronger Canada (2019) by Jody Wilson-Raybould	In this powerful book, drawn from Wilson-Raybould's speeches and other writings, she urges all Canadians – both Indigenous and non-Indigenous – to build upon the momentum already gained in the reconciliation process or risk hard-won progress being lost.	Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
Journeying Forward: Dreaming First Nations' Independence (2000) by Patricia Monture-Angus	Activist and scholar Patricia Monture-Angus examines her own intellectual and personal colonization as a way to share ideas about what she, as a Mohawk woman, sees as the next steps on the path to finding a solution to the continued oppression of First Nations people.	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	External Source
Legacy: Trauma, Story, and Indigenous Healing (2019) by Suzanne Methot	Author and educator Suzanne Methot uses history, human development, and her own and others stories to trace the roots of Indigenous cultural dislocation and community breakdown in an original and provocative examination of the long-term effects of colonization. Methot also shows how we can come back from this with Indigenous ways of knowing lighting the way.	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	External Source
One Dead Indian: The Premier, the Police, and the Ipperwash Crisis (2001) by Peter Edwards	On September 4, 1995, several Stoney Point Natives entered Ipperwash Provincial Park, near Sarnia, Ontario, and began a peaceful protest aimed at reclaiming a traditional burial ground. Within seventy-two hours, one of those protestors, Anthony (Dudley) George, was dead, shot by an OPP officer. In One Dead Indian, after covering the tragedy from the beginning, journalist Peter Edwards examines the circumstances surrounding George's death and asks a number of tough questions.	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	External Source
People of the Pines (1991) by Geoffrey York	For 78 days in the summer of 1990, Canadians were transfixed by the dramatic images of Mohawk warriors in an armed standoff with the Quebec police and the Canadian army. People of the Pines is the insider's account of two journalists who lived at the warrior encampment in the final weeks of the military siege.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Government & Non-Profit, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm	Book	External Source
Returning to the Teachings: Exploring Aboriginal Justice (1996) by Rupert Ross	During a three-year secondment with Justice Canada, Rupert Ross travelled from the Yukon to Cape Breton Island, examining and experiencing the widespread Aboriginal preference for "peacemaker 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	External Source
Seeing Red: A History of Natives in Canadian Newspapers (2011) by Mark Cronlund Anderson and Carmen Robertson	The first book to examine the role of Canada's newspapers in perpetuating the myth of Native inferiority. Seeing Red is a groundbreaking study of how Canadian English-language newspapers have portrayed Aboriginal peoples from 1869 to the present day.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples, Support for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, In-House, Management, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City (2017) by Tanya Talaga	Over the span of eleven years, seven Indigenous high school students died in Thunder Bay, Ontario. They were hundreds of kilometres away from their families, forced to leave home because there was no adequate high school on their reserves. Using a sweeping narrative focusing on the lives of the student, author Tanya Talaga delves into the history of this northern city that has come to manifest Canada's long struggle with human rights violations against Indigenous communities.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, In-House, Management, Government & Non-Profit, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm	Book	External Source
Stolen Sisters: The Story of Two Missing Girls, Their Families, and How Canada Has Failed Indigenous Women (2015) by Emmanuelle Walter	Journalist Emmanuelle Walter spent two years investigating the crisis that since 1980 more than 1,200 Canadian Indigenous women have been murdered or have gone missing. Stolen Sisters is a moving and deeply shocking work of investigative journalism that makes the claim that not only is Canada failing its First Nations communities, but that a feminicide is taking place.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
Birdie (2015) by Tracey Lindberg	Birdie is a first novel from Tracey Lindberg about the universal experience of recovering from wounds of the past, informed by the lore and knowledge of Cree traditions.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
Five Little Indians (2020) by Michelle Good	With compassion and insight, Five Little Indians chronicles the desperate quest of five residential school survivors to come to terms with their past and, ultimately, find a way forward.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
In Search of April Raintree (1983) by Beatrice Mosionier	This book is based on author Beatrice Mosionier's life, who is Metis. She survived foster care, abuse and the loss of her two sisters to suicide.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, In-House, Management, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
Indian Horse (2012) by Richard Wagamese	Author Richard Wagamese traces through the stories of fictional characters to show the decline of a culture and a cultural way.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
The Outside Circle: A Graphic Novel (2015) by Patti Laboucan-Benson	In this important graphic novel, two brothers surrounded by poverty, drug abuse, and gang violence, try to overcome centuries of historic trauma in very different ways to bring about positive change in their lives.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
Clifford (2018) by Harold R. Johnson	When Harold Johnson returns to his childhood home in a northern Saskatchewan Indigenous community for his brother Clifford's funeral, the first thing his eyes fall on is a chair. It stands on three legs, the fourth broken off and missing. So begins a journey through the past, a retrieval of recollections that have too long sat dormant.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
From The Ashes: My Story of Being Metis, Homeless, and Finding My Way (2019) by Jesse Thistle	From the Ashes is a remarkable memoir about hope and resilience, and a revelatory look into the life of a Métis-Cree man who refused to give up.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
Indian in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power (2021) by Jody Wilson-Raybould	"Indian" in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power is the story of why Wilson-Raybould got into federal politics, her experience as an Indigenous leader sitting around the Cabinet table, her proudest achievements, the very public SNC-Lavalin affair, and how she got out and moved forward.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
Indian School Days (1988) by Basil H. Johnston	This book is the humorous, bitter-sweet autobiography of a Canadian Ojibwa who was taken from his family at age ten and placed in Jesuit boarding school in northern Ontario.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
Mamaskatch (2018) by Darrel J. McLeod	Mamaskatch—named for the Cree word used as a response to dreams shared—is an uplifting account of overcoming personal and societal obstacles. In spite of the traumas of author Darrel McLeod's childhood, deep and mysterious forces handed down by his mother helped him survive and thrive: her love and strength stayed with him to build the foundation of what would come to be a very fulfilling and adventurous life.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
One Native Life (2008) by Richard Waganese	In One Native Life, author Richard Wagamese looks back down the road he has travelled in reclaiming his identity and talks about the things he has learned as a human being, a man and an Ojibway in his 52 years.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
The Right to be Cold: One Woman's Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic and the Whole Planet (2015) by Sheila Watt-Cloutier	Environmental and human rights activist Sheila Watt-Cloutier addresses the global threat of climate change from the intimate perspective of her own Arctic childhood.	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	External Source
The Reason You Walk (2015) by Wab Kinew	The Reason You Walk is a poignant story of a towering but damaged father and his son as they embark on a journey to repair their family bond. By turns lighthearted and solemn, author Wab Kinew gives an inspiring vision for family and cross-cultural reconciliation, and a wider conversation about the future of 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	Book	External Source
They Called Me Number One (2013) by Bev Sellars	In this frank and poignant memoir of her years at St. Joseph's Mission, author Xatsu'll chief Bev Sellars breaks her silence about the residential school's lasting effects on her and her family—from substance abuse to suicide attempts—and eloquently articulates her own path to healing.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Book	External Source
Finding Dawn (2006)	Finding Dawn is a documentary film by Métis filmmaker Christine Welsh looking into the fate of an estimated 500 Canadian Indigenous women who have been murdered or have gone missing over the past 30 years (as at the date of the documentary).	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Video	External Source
Incident at Restigouche (1984)	Incident at Restigouche is a documentary film by Alanis Obomsawin, chronicling a series of two raids on the Listuguj Mi'gmaq First Nation (Restigouche) by the Sûreté du Québec in 1981, as part of the efforts of the Quebec government to impose new restrictions on Native salmon fishermen.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Government & Non-Profit , Sole Practitioner & Small Firm	Video	External Source
Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance (1993)	Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance is a feature-length film documentary film by Alanis Obomsawin, chronicling the 1990 Oka Crisis.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Video	External Source
Nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up (2019)	Nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up is a Canadian documentary film that centres on the 2016 death of Colten Boushie and depicts his family's struggle to attain justice after the controversial acquittal of Boushie's killer. The film also includes a number of animated segments which contextualize the broader history of Indigenous Peoples of Canada.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Video	External Source
Stolen (available on Amazon Prime)	Stolen follows troubled, 14-year old, Shayna Hill as she is admitted and runs away from her group-home. It is a small glimpse into a typical Indigenous girl's life before becoming one of 1200+ Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in Canada.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Video	External Source
Two Worlds Colliding (2005)	Two Worlds Colliding deals with a practice that came to be known as starlight tours, which came to light when two police officers dropped off Darrell Night on the outskirts of town on a frigid winter night, leaving him to make his way back on his own.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Video	External Source
Rhymes for Young Ghouls (2013)	Rhymes for Young Ghouls is a Canadian drama film set in 1976 on the fictional Red Crow Mi'kmaq reservation and takes place in the context of the Canadian residential school system. Although it tells the fictional story of a teenager named Aila and her plot for revenge, it is based on the history of abuse of the First Nations people by government agents, including a large number of reported cases of the mental and physical abuse of residential school children.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Video	External Source
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open (2019)	Over the course of an hour and 45 minutes as the film plays out in real-time, two women forge a bond while attempting to navigate the complex issues surrounding domestic abuse, Indigenous motherhood and the lasting impacts of colonialism.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Video	External Source
The Lesser Blessed (2012)	The Lesser Blessed is a Canadian drama film based on the novel of the same name by Richard Van Camp. The film follows a shy teenager living in a small, remote community in the Northwest Territories of Canada and dealing with life as a high school student. The film explores several typical teen issues, such as alienation and the search for one's own identity, but in this case from the perspective of a Dogrib Indian who struggles between his Native ancestry and finding his place in to the modern world.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Video	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
Eskimo Pie: A Poetics of Inuit Identity (2020) by Norma Dunning	Eskimo Pie: A Poetics of Inuit Identity examines Dunning's lived history as an Inuk who was born, raised and continues to live south of sixty. Her writing takes into account the many assimilative practices that Inuit continue to face and the expectations of mainstream as to what an Inuk person can and should be.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Poetry	External Source
Learning to Count (2020 CBC Prize Shortlist) by Emily Riddle	A nehiyaw iskwew and a member of the Alexander First Nation, Emily Riddle reflects on how much Indigenous people whose territories are occupied by cities have lost and how intergenerational love has allowed them to continue with their ever-changing traditions.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Poetry	External Source
NDN Coping Mechanisms: Notes from the Field by Billy-Ray Belcourt	A writer and academic from the Driftpile Cree Nation, Billy-Ray Belcourt takes on the political demands of queerness, mainstream portrayals of Indigenous life, love and its discontents, and the limits and uses of poetry as a vehicle for Indigenous liberation.	Truth Regarding the Experience of Indigenous Peoples	Private Practice, Management, In-House, Sole Practitioner & Small Firm, Government & Non-Profit	Poetry	External Source
Bones of Crows (2022)	A psychological drama, told through the Cree Matriarch, that follows a Canadian residential school survivor as she continues her family's generational fight.	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
North of 60 (1992-98)	A Canadian television drama series about the experiences of Aboriginal people in a fictional town in the Northwest Territories.	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 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
Valley of the Birdtail by Andrew Stobo Sniderman and Douglas Sanderson (Amo Binashii)	Divided by a beautiful valley and 150 years of racism, the town of Rossburn and the Waywayseecappo Indian reserve have been neighbours nearly as long as Canada has been a country. Their story reflects much of what has gone wrong in relations between Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous Canadians. It also offers, in the end, an uncommon measure of hope.	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	Book	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

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.