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The objective of this work is to develop learning modules and training
resources to help researchers to apply the law properly in the province or
territory in which they practise. Our goal is to support the meaningful inclusion
of people living with dementia in research that impacts their lives.
CCEL staff are working with an interdisciplinary team that includes faculty
at the University of Toronto (social work), the University of Victoria (sociology)
and the University of British Columbia (social work). This three-year
project is being funded by the Alzheimer Society of Canada.
ADVANCING RECONCILIATION
BCLI is developing a program to support law reforms that will advance reconciliation.
British Columbia’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Act is a tool for recognizing and protecting the human rights in the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (“UNDRIP”). The legislation
obliges British Columbia to align its laws with UNDRIP and anticipates
transformations in processes and policies to support Indigenous–
Crown relations in British Columbia.
This need for fundamental reform to align British Columbia’s laws with
Indigenous laws was recognized long before the passage of the Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Former Chief Justice of British
Columbia Lance Finch identified this challenge in a 2012 paper titled “The
Duty to Learn: Taking Account of Indigenous Legal Orders in Practice”.
Chief Justice Finch’s premise was that the majority of lawyers and judges
are “wholly unfamiliar with Indigenous languages, cultures and world
views”, and that there is much we must do to “make space” for Indigenous
legal orders. He stated that legal practitioners need to “let go of our established
ideas as to what constitutes ‘law’” and enter a new legal landscape.
This BCLI initiative will help reconcile Crown legal frameworks with
Indigenous governance. Building on our deep understanding of Crown law
and comparative legal frameworks, our work will examine ways that the
Crown legal system needs to adjust to implement UNDRIP, support Indigenous
governance, and advance reconciliation and access to justice for
Indigenous peoples. We look forward to launching this program in 2022.
We encourage you to check our website at <bcli.org> for regular news
and updates on upcoming events and information on our projects.
/www.bcli.org