As we mark September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we at CELA are thinking about how the part of the justice sector we work in, environmental law, works or does not work for Indigenous communities. 

What we know is that there is such an incredible amount of work still to do.  Some Indigenous clients who we represent are still wrestling with a legacy of toxic contamination that occurred when governments gave no thought to the impact on their communities from licensing polluting activities.  Others are still fighting for clean drinking water. 

Many of our colleagues are working to improve the system, and inviting us to help, such as working toward a better drinking water legal system for First Nations.  All too often, our Indigenous partners are battling to avoid having the formal rules of environmental approvals and consultation amount to more than mere “check-boxes.”  However there is incredible work going on right across Canada, on improving the involvement of indigenous communities in decision making for their communities, and in moving toward a time when indigenous legal traditions will be recognized properly in the broader Canadian legal context, including being cited as legal authority. 

CELA will be continuing our work, our legal advocacy, our representation, and our law reform efforts, in conjunction with our Indigenous friends, partners, colleagues, and clients, toward the day when that happens.