AV俱乐部 has made important strides in embracing a broader group of students, faculty and staff in recent years, including launching a strategic initiative on diversity and inclusiveness in 2015.
A new position that aims to further that goal was announced earlier this week during a reception welcoming Schulich School of Law Professor Naiomi Metallic as Dal鈥檚 first Chancellor鈥檚 Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy. The Chair was made possible thanks to a generous donation by the Honourable Anne McLellan, Dal鈥檚 chancellor.
On Monday, a group of Schulich School of Law faculty, students, alumni and staff, along with former colleagues of Metallic鈥檚, gathered in the Weldon Law Building鈥檚 second-floor atrium to learn about her plans for the five-year renewable Chair term.
After Mi鈥檏maq educator and human rights activist Sister Dorothy Moore gave the opening prayer and blessed Metallic for making a better world for First Nations peoples, Sipekne鈥檏atik (Indian Brook) First Nation drummer Keagan Sack sang the Mi鈥檏maq Honour Song.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great day to be here,鈥� said Dal President Richard Florizone. 鈥淪aturday was Treaty Day, and events are still taking place on campus and around the city.鈥� He made everyone laugh when, after stating that he was excited for Metallic to begin putting her strategic plan into action as the first Chancellor鈥檚 Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy, he added: 鈥淣o pressure!鈥�
Florizone said that Dal takes the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada鈥檚 Calls to Action seriously 鈥� in particular Action 28, which calls upon law schools in Canada to require all law students to take a course in Aboriginal peoples and the law. 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud of what we鈥檝e done to foster diversity and inclusiveness at AV俱乐部,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut we know there鈥檚 more we need to do.鈥�
Building on strong foundations
Schulich School of Law Dean Camille Cameron opened her remarks by recognizing that the reception was being held on traditional Mi鈥檏maq territory.
鈥淚鈥檓 very proud of our Indigenous Blacks & Mi鈥檏maq Initiative, which was an inspired idea when it was established in 1989,鈥� said Cameron. 鈥淚t has become a model for access to the legal profession across Canada and the U.S., and it continues to make a vital contribution to that goal. But we have to do more. I鈥檓 happy to say that we now have a dedicated group within the faculty taking us forward to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, especially Call to Action 28.鈥�
McLellan, a former Canadian deputy prime minister who did her undergrad at Dal, then earned a law degree here in 1974, has been Chancellor since 2015. She pointed to the positive changes that have been made in diversity and inclusiveness generally compared to when she was a student.
鈥淲hen I was in law school, there was no Treaty Day,鈥� said McLellan. 鈥淚鈥檓 delighted to see Naiomi as this Chair鈥檚 first scholar. She has an amazing personality, she exudes charisma and energy, and she will directly guide the creation of new initiatives to make both the law school and Dal more inclusive.鈥�
Chair to foster greater teaching, research
Metallic hails from the Listuguj Mi鈥檊maq First Nation, which is located on the Gasp茅 Coast of Quebec. She was a member of the IB&M Initiative while studying law at AV俱乐部, earning her degree in 2005.
Metallic is starting her first year of full-time teaching at the Schulich School of Law after several years of guest lecturing while practicing law at Burchells LLP in Halifax. Students taking Constitutional Law, Indigenous Governance, Aboriginal Peoples and the Kawaskimhon Aboriginal Law Moot will benefit from her experience working as a lawyer for Indigenous communities in the Maritimes and beyond.
At the reception, Metallic praised both the IB&M Initiative and its director, Professor Michelle Williams. 鈥淚 feel very fortunate to build on the great work of the IB&M Initiative and to push for positive change for Mi鈥檏maq and other Aboriginal peoples,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he Chair gives me a wonderful opportunity to move this work along with more authority and legitimacy. Thank you, Anne, for your generosity and leadership in funding this Chair.鈥�