The Gladue Decision and Aboriginal Access to Justice: 11 Years Later, What Has Changed?

A presentation by Justice Harry LaForme and organized by the Aboriginal Law Society

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010, 11:30-12:30, Room 2A

Justice Harry LaForme is looking forward to visiting Fredericton and sharing his personal and professional perspectives on the Gladue decision.

Justice LaForme is the first Aboriginal person in Canadian history to be appointed to the appellate court level.  Before this appointment to the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2004, he served as co-chair on the independent National Chiefs Task Force on Native Land Claims in  October 1989 to June 1990, was appointed Commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario in 1989, was appointed as Chair of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal land claims, and was appointed a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice (now the Superior Court of Justice) in 1994 - only one of three peoples ever appointed to this level of trial court in Canada.  He taught the "Rights of Indigenous Peoples" law course at Osgoode Hall Law School for in 1992 and 1993.  Justice LaForme is a Mississauga Indian and a member of the Mississaugas of New Credit First Nation located in southern Ontario.