McGill Law is committed to becoming one of Canada’s leading faculties in Indigenous legal studies.Â
Ď㽶ĘÓƵ is located on land that has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. McGill honours, recognizes, and respects these nations as the traditional stewards of the lands and waters on which we meet today.Â
As the Faculty of Law continues to engage with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action, a number of new initiatives have been implemented, and many new ones are expected in the years to come, as we work toward giving Indigenous legal traditions and Indigenous people their just place in the McGill Program and at our Faculty.Â
Indigenous students and facultyÂ
McGill Law is committed to recruiting and supporting Indigenous students, and we recognize that Indigenous peoples face unique barriers to accessing legal education and the legal profession. In 2022, we created an Optional Category for Indigenous Applicants, which is open to Indigenous peoples with ties to Turtle Island. In the 2024-2025 academic year, the Faculty welcomed seven MĂ©tis, Inuit and First Nations students. Since her appointment in November 2022, Brittany Williams(BCL/LLB'19), Assistant Dean (Students) and Dean’s Lead, Black and Indigenous flourishing has played a leadership role in the Faculty of Law's collective efforts towards recruiting and supporting Black and Indigenous law students. Â
Bolstering the place of Indigenous legal research and teaching at the Faculty is a priority. As such, we are proud to have Professor Kirsten Anker, Professor Aaron Mills, an Indigenous scholar, and Professors Kerry Sloan and Joshua Nichols, two MĂ©tis scholars, among our faculty members.
Les traditions juridiques autochtones dans le programme de la FacultĂ©Â
L’approche transsystĂ©mique distinctive de McGill et l’importance du pluralisme juridique Ă la FacultĂ© crĂ©ent un environnement propice Ă l’étude des traditions juridiques autochtones. Ces traditions juridiques font partie intĂ©grante de nombreux cours depuis plusieurs annĂ©es et, en rĂ©ponse aux appels Ă l’action de la Commission de vĂ©ritĂ© et rĂ©conciliation, nous avons accru la prĂ©sence des traditions juridiques autochtones dans nos cours obligatoires et facultatifs. Â
Le cours obligatoire de première annĂ©e du programme BCL/JD en Traditions juridiques autochtones initie la cohorte aux sources sĂ©lectionnĂ©es de ces dernières. Il traite des liens entre les manières d'ĂŞtre, la connaissance et le droit autochtone, y compris comment ces liens ont Ă©tĂ© fragilisĂ©s par le contexte de la colonisation et les efforts pour les revitaliser. Parmi les sujets traitĂ©s, la vision du monde et les contextes constitutionnels des traditions juridiques autochtones, le contexte colonial qui a forgĂ© les rĂ©alitĂ©s contemporaines du droit autochtone et de la formation juridique autochtone. Â
Les traditions juridiques autochtones sont Ă©galement enseignĂ©es dans le cadre des cours de justice pĂ©nale (un cours d’un an dans la première annĂ©e du programme) et du droit des biens (un cours d’un an en deuxième annĂ©e). La facultĂ© travaille Ă multiplier les occasions d'Ă©tudier les traditions juridiques autochtones Ă l'intĂ©rieur et au-delĂ des salles de classe. Comment s’investir dans les traditions et les communautĂ©s autochtones :Â
-
Faire une mineure en Ă©tudes autochtones;Ěý
-
S’inscrire Ă un et recevoir un enseignement sur le droit autochtone directement de la source, dans une communautĂ© autochtone;Ěý
-
Participer Ă la recherche dans le cadre de projets en matière de droits de la personne pour les autochtones du Centre pour les droits de la personne et le pluralisme juridique;Ěý
-
Participer Ă un stage en droits de la personne au centre de services juridiques Maliiganik Tukisiinikvik, au Nunavut;Ěý
-
Participer au concours de nĂ©gociation Kawaskimhon;Ěý
-
Suivre un cours de clinique juridique auprès du , au ou au ;Ěý
-
Participer Ă un programme d’échange Ă©tudiant Ă l'une de nos universitĂ©s partenaires dans le cadre du programme  de l'UniversitĂ© d'Arizona, le  à la FacultĂ© de droit Osgoode Hall, le  à la FacultĂ© de droit Peter A. Allard, ou l’ à l'UniversitĂ© d'Ottawa;Ěý Â
-
Participer au programme de sensibilisation destinĂ© aux Ă©coles secondaires, le programme « L.E.X. » (Law-Éducation-Connexion), qui compte parmi ses partenaires la Kahnawake Survival School.Â
* Veuillez noter que les possibilitĂ©s Ă©numĂ©rĂ©es ici ne sont pas offertes chaque annĂ©e et que, dans certains cas, une demande doit ĂŞtre prĂ©sentĂ©e Ă des Ă©tablissements extĂ©rieurs Ă la FacultĂ© de droit pour pouvoir y participer.Â
Expect more developments in years to come as the Faculty continues its work to implement the TRC Calls to Action.Â
Student-led activitiesÂ
McGill Law students lead an active and vibrant Indigenous Law Association de Droit Autochtone (). ILADA publishes monthly articles and hosts events at the Faculty with a goal of addressing issues, primarily through law, that are relevant to the relationships between settlers and Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island.Â
The Faculty supports student involvement in the , including financial support for Indigenous students to attend their annual conference.Â
Support for language acquisitionÂ
Thanks to the generous support of the McCarthy TĂ©trault Fund for Language Training, financial support is available for admitted Indigenous students who wish to improve their abilities in English or French before starting the program, as well as continuing financial support for Indigenous students while they are studying at McGill Law. In addition, applicants in the Indigenous category who are admitted with a condition to improve their language proficiency in either English or French may be eligible for a one-year deferral of admission, to allow them to complete the training to attain the requisite level of passive bilingualism, while retaining their spot in a future cohort. Please contact us for more information (Email: admissions.law [at] mcgill.ca).Ěý
Indigenous Law Centre ProgrammingÂ
The at the University of Saskatchewan offers curriculum and programming that aims to facilitate access to legal education for Indigenous peoples, to promote the development of the law and the legal system in Canada in ways which better accommodate the advancement of Indigenous peoples and communities, and to disseminate information concerning Indigenous peoples and the law.Â
We encourage all incoming students to explore the opportunities available at the Indigenous Law Centre before beginning their legal studies at McGill.Â
To facilitate access to this course and help offset the cost of associated living expenses and course materials, the Faculty of Law is pleased to offer financial support to incoming Indigenous students in the McGill Law Program attending the Summer Program. Please contact us for more information. (Email: bcljd.law [at] mcgill.ca)Ěý
First Peoples’ HouseÂ
McGill's First Peoples' House provides a sense of community and a voice for Indigenous students who have left their communities to study at McGill. A “home away from home,” First Peoples’ House offers a mentoring program, computer facilities, guest lectures, elder visits, academic counselling, and an ever-expanding resource centre, as well as housing.Â
Aide financièreÂ
En plus de l’aide financière Ă©tudiante offerte par McGill, les personnes autochtones peuvent ĂŞtre admissibles Ă plusieurs autres sources d’aide financière. Visitez la page sur l’aide financière aux autochtones de McGill.Â