Canadian Lawyer - sample

22 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m he president of Ontario's Métis is looking to tap into a uniquely favourable fed- eral and provincial attitude to aboriginal rights as she starts her new job, and she'll focus on edu- cation, youth and a justice system where the Métis, like other aborig- inal groups, are all too often on the wrong side of the legal fence. But Margaret Froh, the lawyer elected in May to head the Métis Nation of Ontario, admits that data on Métis interaction with the justice system remains patchy and hard to come by. She says there's not enough awareness of the role that the mixed-race community played in building Ontario and Canada, and not enough emphasis on the unique culture and heritage of the Métis, the people of European and aboriginal ancestry who are one of three aboriginal groups in Canada. "The stars are aligning for our nation," Froh says in a telephone interview from her Barrie, Ont. home. "There have been so many things that have happened over the course of the last year that are lining up for the Métis in Ontario to really change our relationship, not just with the province but also with Canada." She adds: "You see that in the com- mitment of this provincial government to working with the Métis nation. . . . You see that reflected in the commitments made by the Liberal government last fall. . . . They have committed to establishing a nation-to- nation relationship with the Métis nation, to making real, significant change and to making strategic investments." Speaking about how things are look- ing up for the Métis and other aborigi- nal groups, Froh highlights the promised national inquiry into missing and mur- dered indigenous women and girls, as well as the Daniels v. Canada (Indian Affairs and Northern Development) case, where the Supreme Court identified the Métis as Indi- ans, effectively giving Ottawa additional responsibilities for the communities, as well as the obligation to negotiate with them. She is also enthusiastic about Ontario's May report, "The Journey Together," which aims to address the legacy of the residential schools and talks specifically of the need to "reconcile relationships" with Ontario's First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. The plan includes up to $45 million to create what Ontario describes as a "cultur- ally relevant and responsive" justice sys- tem. That will include appropriate support programs and wider use of Gladue courts, which take cultural and historical factors into account for aboriginal defendants and which focus on alternatives to custodial sentences. "With this report, we reiterate our commitment to continue the journey of reconciliation, through specific initiatives designed to bring meaningful change to C R O S S E X A M I N E D A new start New president sees stars aligning New president sees stars aligning for Ontario's Métis. for Ontario's Métis. By Janet Guttsman T

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