Coffee and Conversation with the Honourable Madam Justice Patricia Hennessy, Hosted by Professor Tenille E. Brown

“Languages, Land, and Sovereignties: Revitalizing Indigenous Legal Orders" 2023 Indigenous Law Conference Keynote Addresss

Abstract

Bora Laskin Faculty of Law, together with the Mino-Waabandan Inaakinogewinan Indigenous Law and Justice Institute, 1 hosted its third biennial conference on Indigenous law from January 26–28, 2023. This year’s conference theme was “Languages, Land, and Sovereignties.” The Indigenous Law Conference is a biannual student-focused conference hosted by the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law, which has the goal of bringing together law students from across Canada to discuss learning, teaching, and practising Indigenous law. At this years’ conference, panels included teachings on topics such as practices of land-based learning, Ojibwa language teachings, self-governance, language rights, and the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Peoples. Our opening keynote speaker for this years’ conference was Madam Justice Patricia Hennessy of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Justice Hennessy was invited to talk about her work as presiding trial judge on the case Restoule v Canada, an Aboriginal treaty rights case. What follows is an edited version of Justice Hennessy’s keynote talk, which took the form of a “Coffee and Conversation” hosted by Professor Tenille E. Brown.