Jessica Rose and I had the honour of representing the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) in R. v. Cope—my first time appearing before the Supreme Court of Canada.

CAEFS intervened because the Crown’s reading of sentencing provisions intended to protect Indigenous women and girls, risks over-criminalizing them instead. These provisions were perceived to conflict with Gladue principles, when the ongoing crises of mass incarceration and gendered violence faced by Indigenous women and girls, have a common root cause: settler colonialism.

I argued that the Court should reject the false choice between protecting Indigenous women or reducing over-incarceration of Indigenous men. Harm in communities is cyclical, not neatly divided by gender. Incarceration does not heal—it perpetuates colonial harm, breaking ties to community, land, and responsibility.

Given that Gladue and Ipeelee show how sentencing can account for systemic oppression and community impact, there is no need for the Court to do anything but remind judges of the tools they already have. But this is not just a legal issue—it is a political one, demanding that Canada reckon with the harms it has caused Indigenous peoples while working toward real community preservation.

It was a privilege to stand for CAEFS and push for a justice system that protects Indigenous women without perpetuating colonial cycles of harm.

Along with the wonderful Emma Arnold and Jessica Rose, I represent the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) on an intervention regarding the perceived tension between sentencing provisions and decisions aimed at reducing the mass incarceration of indigenous people and sentencing provisions aimed at protecting Indigenous women. The hearing is scheduled for December 11-12, 2025 and the factum for CAEFS, and for all other parties, can be found here.

This article describes my teaching and participation role in the Anishinaabe Law Circle Learning Course that was taught this year out of the First People’s Justice Centre in Montreal. This is a course taught by the incredible Professor Mills. Big fan of his.

The Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg intervened at the Court of Appeal in the Fair Voting case, to argue for an interpretation of the right to vote that would account for Indigenous worldview difference when considering meaningful participation and effective representation. The decision of the Court of Appeal is linked here.

Working through the Public Interest Law Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on the issue of systemic over-policing of Indigenous people, I represent the Coalition of Families affected by Police Violence. We ran a successful campaign to meet with Justice Minister Matt Weibe and his staff, regarding reforms to the Police Services Act and the Fatal Inquiries Act. Following this, with the generous support of the Manitoba Law Foundation, the Coalition has begun the work of consultation with affected families, Manitobans, experts and other stakeholders to draft a report outlining the precise reforms required to create a systemic police complaint body, and an effective inquest system.

News coverage:

CBC: “Families impacted by police violence in Winnipeg call for reform”

CTV: “This loss must stop': Coalition sends open letter to Manitoba premier alleging systemic racism in police force”

Winnipeg Free Press: “Tunnel Vision”

Link to the Coalition’s website

Calvin Lewis died at the Ottawa Carlton Detention Centre, with a mandatory inquest called into the circumstances of his death. I represented his family, advocating for recommendations aimed at preventing future deaths in similar circumstances, including preventing another inmate to, “remain in conditions of squalor” (see recommendation #1, with the full list linked here.

The Inquest into the Death of Terry Baker concluded with 67 recommendations aimed to prevent a similar death in the future. Amongst these, the jury recommended that: “The Minister of Public Safety should introduce legislative reforms to the Corrections and Conditional Release Act that would define “solitary confinement” consistent with the United Nations Nelson Mandela Rules…”, and to implement in full a long list of recommendations arising from the Inquest into the Death of Ashley Smith. The full recommendations are linked here.

I had the honour of representing For Our Kids as Intervenors in Mathur v. Ontario at the Court of Appeal. The decision is still pending, but there is hope that this landmark case will become a landmark decision. For Our Kids’ reflections and blog is linked here.

UPDATE: The Court of Appeal decision is linked here. The case has been sent back to the Superior Court, and FOK remains involved.

Marsha McLeod writes a four part investigative series on judicial oversight of police shootings in Manitoba, including a deep dive into the inquest system, linked here.

With Nathan Hume and Natalia Sudeyko as incredibly supportive co-counsel, I made intervener submissions in the climate change litigation, Mathur et al. v. Ontario et al. My client was For Our Kids, a national network of parents and grandparents who support climate change actions in support of their children. Not surprising then was our argument: that the litigation in every aspect had to be interpreted according to the legal principle, “the best interests of the child”, which demands that children’s best interests be taken into account when interpreting the law. Further media and information linked here.

UPDATE: The decision at the Superior Court level is linked here. The decision has been appealed to the Court of Appeal, hearing to be held in January 2024.

I partnered with the Community Justice Collective to defend Skyler Williams, a land defender personally named by Foxgate. Foxgate is seeking to develop a part of the Haldimand Tract, a development which is protested by the Haudenosaunee people. The arguments were heard in Cayuga, and everyone is awaiting the judge’s decision. Media with more information linked here.

UPDATE: The decision at the Superior Court level is linked here.

After a prolonged maternity / pandemic partial leave, I’m back and testifying at the Mass Casualty Commission on the issue of police impersonation and related topics. Media coverage is linked here, and here.

UPDATE: The Report of the Mass Casualty Commission is linked here.

Aaron Mills (McGill professor, and my husband) explains that… “what we call law, exists only within it’s own lifeworld.” This article illuminates our two different cultural worlds (Anishinaabe and Canadian) and the differences in the nature of law that arises from them, and is linked here.

My thesis regarded law in Nishnawbe Aski Nation. NAN is made up of 49 First Nations communities in Northern Ontario. I looked at their resolutions to determine what I could about their law. This 5 year odyssey is linked here.

An opinion piece that I wrote aimed at practising lawyers on how to learn Indigenous legal traditions. Published in the Canadian Bar Association online magazine just in advance of National Aboriginal day, June 17, 2019 and linked here.