UVic launches the world's first Indigenous law degree
Feminist, artist, grandmother and embracer of disruption, Interim Dean of the Faculty of Law Dr. Val Napoleon is one of the most influential legal scholars in Canada. She is changing legal education and the lawscape of Canada as the co-founder of the Indigenous Law Degree Program.
The joint degree program builds upon our longstanding commitment to, and international reputation in, Indigenous law and Indigenous legal education.
The Indigenous Law Research Unit (ILRU)
ILRU, the only dedicated research centre on Indigenous law in Canada, is committed to the recovery and renaissance of Indigenous laws. It has formed partnerships with more than 40 Indigenous communities from coast to coast to coast, researching those peoples’ legal traditions in all their diverse forms and addressing the full scope of laws that any community requires to live peacefully and harmoniously in the world.
New Indigenous Law wing
The new Indigenous Law wing at UVic is a place to share Indigenous legal traditions and is home to the Faculty of Law’s JD/JID program – the first law program in the world to combine the study of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous laws.
The 2,440-square metre addition to the Murray and Anne Fraser Building offers a much-needed, culturally appropriate space for learning and teaching Indigenous Laws. Purpose-built to welcome, gather, learn and share Indigenous legal knowledge, the new wing creates flow between old and new spaces, indoors and out.
The leaders of these initiatives, Professors John Borrows and Val Napoleon, have been largely responsible for setting the agenda in understanding and engaging, with rigour and insight, Indigenous law. Their advice had a real impact on our deliberations within the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.