Indigenous students from across Canada start property law course
Class is under way for more than 33 Indigenous law students.
The Spring/Summer Property Law course, which kicked off May 7 on Zoom, is offered annually by the Indigenous Law Centre at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law (USask Law).
It runs weekly until July 25 and is for Indigenous students who have been accepted into law school at a Canadian university and will be starting classes in the fall.
In addition to learning the course’s substantive legal content, the class will also focus on helping students develop legal skills essential for succeeding in law school.
The class is taught by USask Law grad Professor Lawren Trotchie (JD’18, LLM’22). The teaching team also consists of Professor Leah Howie, Teaching Assistant Ali Fontaine, Cultural advisor Joseph Naytowhow and Cultural Advisor Julie Pitzel.
“As a Michif woman, it is imperative to me that I give back to our communities, and what better way to do just that than by teaching the course that I once attended 10 years ago," said Trotchie. "It is an honour to be among and learn from each of the students taking the course. I know our ancestors are proud of all of us.”
Trotchie is a part-time Assistant Professor at USask Law, teaching not only the spring/summer course in Property Law, but also Kwayeskastasowin. Kwayeskastasowin is the mandatory first-year course in the college which includes the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal-Crown relations.