Ten years ago last month, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Tsilhqot’in First Nation in the Nemaiah Valley in British Columbia’s Interior was titleholder of their traditional territory. It was the first declaration of Aboriginal title in Canadian history: a confirmation of the land rights promised to all First Nations in the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and vindication for 150 years of Tsilhqot’in struggle.
Through our work with Woodward & Co., the law firm that represented the Tsilhqot’in, we’ve been able to learn about this precedent-setting win for First Nations—a win that set the bar for oral history and Indigenous legal traditions to be taken into account in the Canadian legal system. We are honoured to support the law firm that worked on this landmark case and hope more people can learn about the perseverance and collaboration it took to make it happen.
When we refreshed Woodward’s website, the one page we absolutely agreed had to remain was this one.
Joseph Mathieu is an Account Manager and Writer at Spruce.
