5th Webinar | Investigating the Indigenous Languages Act (1:27:29)

Webinar Series on “Indigenous Peoples and the Law”

This program contains 1.5 CPD hours in all Canadian provinces. Participants can claim up to 1.5 hours of CPD with the LSBC, including 1.5 hours of Practice Management credit.

This webinar was recorded on February 17, 2021 thanks to the technical support of Courthouse Libraries BC. 

Overview

This is the 5th webinar in a series on Indigenous People and Law. In this webinar we will look at the Indigenous Languages Act. The webinar offers the opportunity to examine how Indigenous groups and communities have put the Act to use and the interpretation of the act by courts a year and a half after coming into force. Attendees will learn about the issues that animate the purpose of the Act, the measures it puts in place to achieve its goals, how the operative provisions are being put to use, the developing caselaw and to what degree the Act has begun to bring changes to the state of Indigenous languages. The panellists will examine the instances in Canada where Indigenous languages have been declared as official languages, and how Canada can adopt a more pluralistic approach to languages and culture.

Speakers

  • Chief Ronald E. Ignace (Stsmél̓qen), Skeetchestn Band, Adjunct Professor, Anthropology, Simon Fraser University (Secwepemc (Shuswap) Nation)
  • Professor Mariane Ignace, departments of Linguistics and Indigenous Studies, Simon Fraser University; Director, SFU’s Indigenous Languages Program and First Nations Language Centre
  • Professor Sarah Morales, Associate Professor, Faculty of law, University of Victoria (Coast Salish, Cowichan).

Moderator

  • The Honourable Justice W. James W. O’Reilly, Federal Court; President, CIAJ