She was sworn in as a provincial court judge in July of 2018. She is assigned to the Northern region and sits in Fort St John. At the time of her appointment, Thomas was the executive director of Secwépemc Child and Family Services, a delegated Aboriginal child welfare agency serving seven Secwépemc band communities and the Kamloops urban Indigenous community.

Thomas has also served as a board member of the Legal Services Society of BC and member of the Minister’s Advisory Council on Indigenous Women, an advisory council to the BC Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.

Thomas has experience working as a sole practitioner and for First Nations government and non-profit organizations. Her law practice focused primarily on child protection and family law. She also has a background in prison law.

Thomas has worked extensively to develop and facilitate legal information workshops with law advocates, family support workers and Indigenous communities. She led the establishment of the Cknúcwentn First Nations Court in Kamloops, one of six provincial sentencing courts for Aboriginal Peoples.

Thomas received the CBABC Aboriginal Lawyer’s Forum Special Contribution award in 2014. She received the 2015 Kamloops YMCA Peace Award which recognized her work in establishing the First Nations court in Kamloops. She was one of 25 selected participants in the national social innovation program, Getting to Maybe, held at the Banff Centre in 2016. She received the Heart of the Grasslands Award from the BC Association of Social Workers in 2017 for her leadership with the First Nations Court in Kamloops.

She received a bachelor of laws from the University of British Columbia in 2000.

He has also served as duty counsel for the Chnúkcwentn First Nations Court since 2013, and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2015 and the Merritt First Nations Court since it opened in 2017.

He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a bachelor of laws in 1993. He was called to the bar in 1994 and articled with the federal Department of Justice before joining the St'at'imc/Nlaka'pamux Legal Services Society as a staff lawyer.

Her academic career started with Vista University, Mamelodi. She was then appointed as senior lecturer in the Department of Mercantile Law, University of Pretoria. She was employed as a professor of law in the Department of Private Law, University of Johannesburg for 13 years, where she specialized in tort law, law of contract and insurance law.

Millard has presented several papers at international and national conferences and authored several journal articles. She is the author of the student text Modern Insurance Law in South Africa (Juta, Cape Town) and the co-author of The FAIS Act Explained (LexisNexis Butterworths, Durban) with Wendy Hattingh. She further authored two quarterly publications: Juta’s Insurance Law Bulletin and the chapter on insurance for Juta’s Quarterly. She has recently created an online platform called the TCF Integrator for assisting short-term insurers with their onerous compliance duties.

Millard also practiced as an advocate and has previously been a full member of the Pretoria Society of Advocates. She obtained her legum doctor degree from the University of Johannesburg in 2006. She also obtained the degrees B.luris (1994), bachelor of laws (1997) and master of laws (1999) from the University of Pretoria and a diploma in insolvency law from the Association of Insolvency Law Practitioners.

His main research and teaching interests are property, restitution, trusts, and unjust enrichment. He is the author of Resulting Trust (Oxford 1997), An Introduction to Property Law in Australia (4th ed, Sydney 2019), and The Law of Property (Toronto 2021), a co-author of Oosterhoff on Trusts (9th ed, Toronto 2019), and a member of the editorial boards for the Journal of Equity (Sydney) and Trust Law International (London).

She was called to the Bar BC in May of 2022. She then joined the BC First Nations Justice Council as a senior policy lawyer. Within a few months, she accepted the role of chief executive officer. She has since led the organization in restructuring, creating a seven-bundle system to best tackle the 25 strategies and 43 lines of action that the organization is responsible for.

She studied criminology at the University of Manitoba, receiving her bachelor of arts in 2007. She then joined the JET Programme and spent two years teaching English in Tosu, Japan.

Carling received her juris doctor in 2012 from the University of Toronto and articled with Innocence Canada. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 2013. She served as president of the board for Aboriginal Legal Services in Toronto (2014 – 2020).

In 2014, she launched Innocence Canada’s National Legal Education Program to forward the organization’s mandate to prevent wrongful convictions. The same year, Carling was appointed by the attorney general for Ontario to the Debwewin Jury Implementation Committee. In 2016, she returned to the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law as manager of the Indigenous Initiatives Office, and as adjunct faculty, where she oversaw the institution’s efforts related to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and taught a course on wrongful convictions.

Her most recent cases involved construction disputes, wrongful dismissal, complicated estate litigation and on-reserve land issues. She also conducts employment investigations at the request of employers who are navigating complaints in the workplace, particularly sexual harassment claims

Before becoming a lawyer, Stewart gained significant experience working with Indigenous Peoples, assisting in capacity development and negotiations with government and industry stakeholders.

She completed a bachelor of arts and was a member of the Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law’s (TRU Law) inaugural class of 2011, receiving her juris doctor in 2014. She continues to serve as the Faculty of Law Indigenous student liaison and coach of the Kawaskimhon National Indigenous Moot competition.

Stewart is past-president of the Kamloops Bar Association and a member of the Western Canada Theatre Company board of directors.Stewart articled with Doug Springford and has since stayed on as an associate.

Rose’s upbringing prioritized the protection of customary ancestral territory, known as a keyoh. This instilled a strong commitment to upholding Indigenous/Dakelh laws within the western legal framework, even in the face of challenging consultative processes. The experience fuelled her passion for working with Indigenous Nations to advance their legal systems and principles, aligning with the overarching objectives of implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples via the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act in BC.

Rose has been a humbled First Nation guest within Secwepemcúl̓ecw for more than 15 years and is honoured to be welcomed into the Secwépemc Nation. Like her colleagues, she has had the privilege to walk in two worlds (Indigenous and Western) with her work, education and livelihood, having learned from Secwépemc Knowledge Carriers, Elders and others within the Secwépemc Nation. She earned a certificate in Aboriginal studies, an associate of arts degree, bachelor of arts and a juris doctor degree.

Rose began her journey with the QS office as one of four in the inaugural 2019 cohort of QS interns. Guided by her Ancestors and with the unwavering support/vision of the QS, she completed her articles and was called to the BC Bar in 2021, where she holds the position of QS in-house legal counsel, lending her support in advancing the rights and interests of the QS signatories and their respective campfires.

She has since moved into business law and currently works as Burnet Duckworth & Palmer's first knowledge management lawyer. She works alongside the business law group, focusing on research, writing and training students and junior associates, while continuing to pursue her passion for all things Indigenous.

He was appointed by Order in Council as a member to the NAFTA Chapter 19 Trade Remedies roster and then appointed in 2020 as a CUSMA advisory committee member on private commercial disputes, Article 31.22.

He is a senior lawyer and principal director of the law firm Garwill Law Professional Corporation. He leads the Indigenous Sovereign Trade Consultancy Ltd., an international business specializing in tribal trade and sustainable economic development.

He is also on the board of directors of the International Law Association – Canada Chapter. He has previously been a chair of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Appeal Tribunal and the National Council of Federal Aboriginal Employees. He is a research fellow specializing in international comparative Indigenous law at the University of Oklahoma, College of Law.

He is the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business 2019 award winner for Excellence in Aboriginal Relations, the 2020 Queen’s University alumni award winner as well as the recipient of the 2020 Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL) — International Legal Specialist in Peace, Justice and Governance Award and the 2023 Senior Legal Fellow for CISDL.

Garnons-Williams recently wrote and is co-editing a textbook being published in 2025 by Cambridge University Press on international Indigenous trade and environmental law. He is teaching a course based on his textbook as part of the bachelor of Indigenous entrepreneurialism program at the University of Waterloo. He has also published on Indigenous Traditional Knowledge in relation to intellectual property.

Here, McCormick contributes to policy initiatives, legal proceedings and stakeholder engagement focused on improving the participation and influence of First Nations in major project development in Canada.

In September 2023, McCormick was inducted into the Common Law Honour Society, the most prestigious alumni distinction presented by the Faculty of Law, Common Law section of the University of Ottawa.

Previously, he served as the director of policy and Indigenous relations for the minister of Environment and Climate Change and director of rights implementation for the minister of justice and attorney general of Canada. His work contributed to the establishment of Indigenous protected and conserved areas, the reform of Canada’s environmental assessment processes and the passage of federal legislation to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. McCormick also served in the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as a senior Indigenous fellow and clerked at the Federal Court of Canada. He studied at University of Guelph, University of Ottawa and Harvard Law School.

He has affiliations with the Liberal Party of Canada and the Banff Forum. He is also the co-chair of the Indigenous Peoples Commission of the Liberal Party of Canada and chair of the Indigenous Relations Council of the Canadian Nuclear Association.

With his wife Marianne Ignace, he was awarded the Governor General Award for Innovation in 2019, for decades of collaborative research involving Indigenous people and communities.

He was also the elected chief of the Skeetchestn Indian Band for more than 30 years. Additionally, he served as chairman of the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council and president of its cultural society, where he initiated a broad program of research and reclamation on Secwepemc language and culture, including an innovative university partnership with Simon Fraser University (SFU).

He holds a bachelor of arts and master of arts in sociology from the University of British Columbia, and completed his doctor of philosophy in anthropology at SFU (2008). His dissertation focused on Secwepemc oral history.

He is a co-author on several articles and book chapters on Secwepemc history, ethnobotany, language and culture, including, Secwepemc People, Land and Laws: Yerí7 re stsq̓ey̓s-kucw, which details a journey through 10,000 years of Secwepemc history.

From 2003-2005, Ignace chaired the Ministerial Task Force on Aboriginal Languages and Cultures. From 2016-2021, he co-chaired the Assembly of First Nations’ Chiefs Committee on Languages, where he played an instrumental role in the development of Bill C-91, the Indigenous Languages Act.

Gottfriedson is a passionate lifelong learner with a combined teaching experience of 25 years across the Kamloops/Thompson school district, Simon Fraser University and Thompson Rivers University. He has also worked for Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc for six years in the Language and Culture department. Through creating and implementing programs, documentation, research and policy development, the department worked towards—and continues to work towards—the revitalization of language and culture of the Secwépemc.

In his current role as cultural advisor in the Office of Indigenous Education at TRU Kamloops campus, Gottfriedson shares the Secwépemc ways of knowing with staff and students. It’s his hope for all to gain an understanding of the Secwépemc, while developing a healthy connection to the ancestral, unceded territory of the Secwépemc and the Tk̓emlupsemcúl̓ecw which Kamloops campus is located on.

Key research objectives include supporting the resurgence of Indigenous laws and demonstrating the potential of Indigenous laws to enhance Canada's multi-juridical legal system.

Hilland has extensive experience in legal practice. Prior to entering academia, she advocated on behalf of First Nations to assert Aboriginal rights with respect to environmental issues, advised non-governmental organizations regarding Indigenous issues in the context of legal regulation and was appointed King's Counsel in 2021.

She also served as associate director of Indigenous Legal Studies at Allard Law from 2008-2012. A former BC First Nations Justice Council policy lawyer, she holds a deep understanding of the work that the organization is advancing around the resurgence and power of Indigenous laws.

Dodd is a lawyer with a strong background in litigation, project management and corporate matters. He is a member of the Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation from Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories. Dodd holds a diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the British Columbia Institute of Technology, a diploma in Aboriginal Studies (with distinction) and juris doctor from the University of Victoria.

After graduating from BCIT, Dodd worked in Vancouver’s hi-tech sector for companies such as Ballard Power Systems, SNC-Lavalin and Cummins-Westport. He focused his engineering career on green technology and the development of emerging fuel systems. Upon graduation from UVIC, Dodd formed Cedar W. Dodd Law Corporation, a boutique law firm with a focus on litigation. He has since represented hundreds of clients in both the provincial and supreme courts of British Columbia.

Prior to her appointment, she was General Counsel for the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group for eight years. In this role, she developed a thorough understanding of legal issues related to mental health and performed significant research regarding the use of Gladue principles in the forensic mental health system, appearing before various administrative tribunals and levels of courts, including the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the Consent and Capacity Board, the Ontario Review Board, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Court of Justice, and the Ontario Court of Appeal. She began her legal career with the legal services at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and was then Counsel with Canada Post, specializing in labour and employment law, human rights, and privacy law.

Justice O’Bonsawin has taught Indigenous law at the University of Ottawa’s Common Law Program and was previously responsible for the Indigenous Relations Program at the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group.

She is a frequent guest speaker on Gladue principles, Indigenous issues, as well as mental health, labour, and privacy law. Justice O’Bonsawin is also the author of various publications such as: Access to Justice and Gladue Reports: We All Have a Role to Play in Lawyer’s Daily (2020); A Principled Approach: Applying Gladue Principles at the Ontario Review Board in the National Judicial Institute Indigenous Law Subject Collection (2018); Canada’s Bill C-14 [NCR] A Knee Jerk Reaction to Sensationalized Not Criminally Responsible Cases in the Canadian Criminal Law Review (2016); Mental Health Checklist: A Guide for Members of the Judiciary (2016).

Justice O’Bonsawin previously served on the Board of Governors of the University of Ottawa, as well as its Executive Committee, and as a Board member for the Aboriginal Legal Services of the University of Ottawa Legal Aid Clinic. She was an observer member of the Membership Committee of Odanak First Nation and a Board member of the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice. She is currently a Partner Judge for Afghanistan Women Judges with the International Association of Women Judges.

Justice O’Bonsawin holds a Bachelor of Arts from Laurentian University, a Bachelor of Law from the University of Ottawa, a Master of Law from Osgoode Hall Law School, and a Doctorate in Law from the University of Ottawa.

Born in Hanmer, Ontario, a small Francophone town near Sudbury, she now resides in Ottawa with her family. A fluently bilingual Franco-Ontarian, Justice O’Bonsawin is an Abenaki member of the Odanak First Nation.

She was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on September 1, 2022.

Throughout his professional career he has always been involved in the law and how Indigenous rights fit within the Canadian framework.

He has worked for the City of Edmonton as an Indigenous relations consultant and officer, and for the province as a manager of audits and retrofits within the Ministry of Indigenous Relations. Houle is a research fellow with the Yellowhead Institute and the First Nations advisor with the Geographical Names Board of Canada. He has also been involved in a case against his First Nation since 2019 regarding issues with their custom election code.

A father of three, Turner is in his final year of studies at the Faculty of Law at TRU. Following convocation, he will join Alberta counsel and returning to Edmonton, Alberta.

While attaining his juris doctor, he was a member of the Indigenous Law Students’ Association and participated in the Kawaskimhon National Aboriginal Moot. He then continued to pursue higher education in law, obtaining his master of laws (specializing in business law) in 2019 and master of laws (specializing in energy and infrastructure) in 2021 from Osgoode Hall Law School. He recently received a cross-appointment as a tenure-track assistant teaching professor to the Faculty of Law and the Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics.

Sholty has previously worked in the natural resource sector, first as a tree planter, then running his own silviculture crews and eventually owning and managing a timber harvesting company in northern British Columbia. Since graduating from TRU Law, he has combined his experience and education by founding SV Management Services Ltd., a consulting firm focused on working with First Nations. Much of his current consulting work has been concentrated on those industries in which he was once employed.

He is active in the community of Kamloops, serving as a board of director for the Kamloops Hospice Association and is the TRU Law chair for the Kawaskimhon National Aboriginal Moot 2024. He is also a past board of governor at the University of Northern British Columbia. Classes he teaches at TRU Law are: First Nations governance and economic development, First Nations business and taxation, and he co-coaches the Kawaskimhon National Aboriginal Moot team.