My law practice, and what has turned out to be my life’s work, has been inspired by what I learned and what I came to believe since I started practicing law. Out of all the legacy of abuse, denial and dishonest dealing at the expense of the First Nations there remains hope that things can still be made right for those who have survived and, of course (and above all) those who have yet to come. This hope, in my case, is sustained by an abiding conviction that while the law is not infrequently used as an instrument of oppression, it can also be a tool for justice and change for the better.

What is the place of Indigenous Peoples in the society of our country, and especially its future? Over the past 35 years I have approached this question from the vantage point of a lawyer; moreover, from the particular vantage point of an lawyer working as an advocate for the cause of Indigenous Peoples. My professional relationship with First Nations has required me to deal with their real problems. For me the law as it applies to first Nations is not merely a subject for study and analysis and the concocting of theories, it is the stuff of finding workable and practical answers to real problems faced by my First Nations clients.

I have adopted a motto, which appears on my letterhead: “We are all here to stay.” These words were written by former Chief Justice Antonio Lamer in his historic judgment in the 1997 Delgamuukw case. Whether we are Indigenous to this country, whether we are immigrants or whether we are descended from settlers, we have a shared interest in this land.