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About Naiomi Metallic

I hail from the Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation located on the Gaspé Coast of Quebec, known as the Gespegewagi district of Mi’kma’ki. I speak English, French and a little Mi’kmaq (I have been taking lessons for a over a year and it is a life goal of mine to become fluent). After nearly 10 years of a very rewarding practice in Aboriginal law, I decided to make the move to academia to continue my work for First Nations in a different way — through teaching, writing, and speaking about the issues facing Aboriginal peoples in Canada and how the law can be a tool for reconciliation and improving the lives of Indigenous peoples. 

Above all, I am interested in how the law can be harnessed to promote the well-being of Indigenous peoples in Canada. I approach this issue from multiple angles, from constitutional to administrative law, international law to equality law and human rights codes, to Indian Act Band Council bylaw powers. Although some advances have been made since the recognition of Aboriginal and Treaty rights in s. 35 of the Constitution Act in 1982, there is still much work to be done.

Indigenous peoples in Canada remain at the bottom of virtually every socio-economic statistic in this country and continue to face discrimination and systemic racism on a regular basis. As legal practitioners and scholars who are concerned about the situation of Indigenous peoples in this country, we have the responsibility to think about the problems facing Indigenous groups in Canada in innovative ways and to convey our ideas in ways that are accessible to the communities they are intended to serve.

Although a lot of my work to-date focuses on Aboriginal Law (Canadian law as it relates to Indigenous), I am a student of Indigenous Law (the laws of Indigenous peoples) and hope to make contributions to the revitalization of Mi'kmaq during my career.

Positions

Present Assistant Professor of Law; Chancellor's Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy, Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law
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Curriculum Vitae


Disciplines

Law


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Professional Service and Affiliations

2018 - Present Member of Board of Advisors, Yellowhead Institute for Indigenous Governance at Ryerson University
2017 - Present Board Member, Indigenous Bar Association
2016 - Present Member, Dalhousie University’s Indigenous Advisory Council
2016 - Present Co-chair, Schulich School of Law, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Committee
2014 - Present Founding Director, Listuguj Aboqonmadultinech Community Foundation
2008 Member, Nova Scotia Bar
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Honors and Awards

  • Canadian Lawyers’ Magazine 2018 Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in the area of Human Rights, Advocacy and Criminal law
  • The Best Lawyers in Canada - Aboriginal Law – 2015 to 2019
  • The Best Lawyers in Canada - Halifax Aboriginal Law “Lawyer of the Year” – 2018 & 2019
  • The Best Lawyers in Canada - Administrative and Public Law – 2019
  • Class of 1967 Teaching Excellence Award for 2019 (along with R. Devlin, J. Baxter and C. MacIntosh)
  • L'Ordre du mérite de la Section de droit civil, Université d’Ottawa 2019
  • Dalhousie Law Alumni Association and Law Students’ Society Award for Excellence in Teaching (2018)

Courses


Education

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2014 LLM, Osgoode Hall Law School of York University
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2006 LLL, University of Ottawa
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2002 - 2005 LLB, Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law
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1998 - 2002 BA, Dalhousie University ‐ English and Philosophy
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Contact Information

Schulich School of Law
Weldon Law Building
6061 University Avenue
PO Box 15000
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2

Email: naiomi.metallic@dal.ca



Books and Book Contributions (12)

Reports (10)

Articles (12)