Indigenous Human Rights Pro Bono Students Canada

In our third episode of Season 2, we talk to lawyer Alanna Tom about her experience representing Mr. C, an Indigenous man, at the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal. Mr. C filed his human rights complaint late but Ms. Tom was able to convince the tribunal to accept it. We talk to Ms. Tom about how she convinced the tribunal to accept the late filled complaint, limitations period at human rights tribunals across the country, the importance of meaningful access to justice, and why lawyers should cite research reports in their submissions! 

Discussed: human rights, limitations periods, discrimination, access to justice. 

Music: Ross Bugden, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons. 

In this episode, hosts Fallon and Flint announce that they are graduating from law school and moving on from the podcast. Fallon and Flint reflect on what they have learned from our guests over the past two years, and they share how they hope the human rights legal system will change in the future. Thank you Fallon and Flint! Through a pandemic and the demands of law school, you helped to shine a light on so many important stories. To all of our listeners: we'll be introducing you to our new hosts soon, so stay tuned!

Correction: In this episode, we mention Deborah Campbell's case against the "Vancouver RCMP". Her case was actually against the Vancouver Police Board.

Discussed: discrimination, human rights, legal systems.

Music: Ross Bugden, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons.

Welcome to Season 2! We talk to Dr. Bruce Miller, a sociocultural anthropologist who has testified as an expert witness in some of the most important Indigenous human rights cases in Canada. Dr. Miller tells us what an expert witness is, what he learned while testifying in Gladys Radek and Deborah Campbell's human rights cases, and he shares some seriously scathing critiques of the colonial human rights system. You can learn more from Dr. Miller in his upcoming book: "Witness to the Human Rights Tribunals: How the System Fails Indigenous Peoples".

Discussed: expert witnesses, human rights system, discrimination, racism, how the human rights system should change.

Music: Ross Bugden, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons.

To round out our first year as podcasters, we talk to Cree and Métis lawyers Mandy Wesley and Amanda Driscoll about their experiences representing Garry McKay, an Oji-Cree man who was arrested by a Toronto Police officer who said he thought that Mr. McKay had a stolen bicycle. Mr. McKay knew he had been racially profiled, so he filed a complaint with the help of his legal team at Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS). In 2011, he won his case. A decade later, we talk to Mandy and Amanda about what happened to Mr. McKay and what still needs to change, and they tell us that us young folx give them hope!

Discussed: racial profiling, white supremacy, human rights, policing, nice bikes.

Music: Ross Bugden, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons.

In our third episode, we speak with Gladys Radek, a long-time advocate for Indigenous women and girls. In 2001, Gladys was grabbing a coffee at a mall when a security guard demanded to know where she was going. Gladys filed a complaint with the BC Human Rights Tribunal and the Tribunal agreed that Gladys' treatment was part of a larger pattern of systemic discrimination at the mall. In our far-reaching conversation, we talk to Gladys about standing up for human rights.  "If you see racism happening, don't let it happen."
Discussed: women and girls, systemic discrimination, human rights, racism, residential schools, foster care system, genocide, cultural pride.
Music: Ross Bugden, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons.

In our second episode, we talk to Crystal Smith, a member of the Tsimshian and Haisla Nations and a mother, artist, activist, and teacher.  She tells us about the time her landlord tried to evict her for smudging in her apartment with her children, and the long road she travelled to fight for her family's cultural rights. Crystal won her case at the BC Human Rights Tribunal in 2020, paving the way for a better future for her kids and many others.

Discussed: children and youth, smudging, human rights, discrimination, cultural rights, colonial legal system, Indigenous laws.

Music: Ross Bugden, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.