Photo of Marc Kruse giving a presentation in the Moot Courtroom

First annual Access to Justice Forum hosted at UM Faculty of Law

Focus on supporting A2J for Indigenous and racialized communities in MB

July 22, 2024 —

The Faculty of Law has been busy hosting a variety of Justice-related events this summer while law students are away working and gaining hands-on legal practice experience. On May 6^th-7^th, 2024, the University of Manitoba and the Manitoba Law Foundation hosted the first annual Access to Justice Forum. This year the focus of the Forum was supporting A2J for Indigenous & racialized communities in Manitoba. The Forum included presentations from Marc Kruse (Director of Indigenous Legal Learning and Services, UM Faculty of Law), Laurelle Harris, K.C. (Equitable Solutions Consulting) and the British Columbia Indigenous Justice Centre.

Kruse presented on “Epistemic Injustice” and common foundational principles of Indigenous legal orders. Harris gave a workshop on anti-racism and equity for legal professionals, and the BC Indigenous Justice Centre gave overview of their work and how they have developed their centres with an access to justice and Indigenous perspective.

In addition to the presentations, 24 A2J stakeholders presented organizational updates which may be found in the most recent A2J newsletter.

This Forum marked the first time since the 2021 establishment of the Manitoba Access to Justice website, a joint initiative of the Law Society of Manitoba and the UM Faculty of Law.

A2J organizations represented at this year’s inaugural Forum included the following:

Manitoba Court of Appeal
Manitoba Court of King’s Bench
Provincial Court of Manitoba
University of Manitoba, Faculty of Law
Manitoba Law Foundation
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs/First Nations Family Advocate Office
Manitoba Metis Federation
The Law Society of Manitoba
The Manitoba Bar Association
Legal Aid Manitoba
Public Interest Law Centre (Office of Legal Aid Manitoba)
Manitoba Justice – Prosecution Service
Manitoba Justice – Family Resolution Services
Manitoba Law Reform Commission
AJEFM/Infojustice
Healthy Muslim Families
Community Legal Education Association
Legal Help Centre
Community Unemployment Help Centre
Manitoba Law Library
Library Hub Project
Manitoba Council of Administrative Tribunals
Mediation Services
Pro Bono Students Canada

Anyone wishing to stay up to date on Access to Justice in Manitoba and future A2J events, check out the Access to Justice Hub and subscribe to the newsletter.

Story submitted by Nadine Plourde (3L)

access to justice, Faculty of Law, Law Society of Manitoba, Marc Kruse, Natasha Brown

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