Action Area 1: Education, Training, and Employment
Focus Area B: Professional Training and Development
Collaborate with professional licensing bodies in essential areas such as health, law, education, and engineering to establish appropriate requirements that encompass antiracism and the histories and cultures of Indigenous Peoples.
Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador helping to build knowledge among NL Lawyers
In 2024–2025, Benchers participated in Indigenous Cultural Diversity Training facilitated by First Light. Bar Admission Course students are also required to complete a national Indigenous cultural awareness program called The Path. The Law Society’s Indigenous Education and Action Committee has developed a required reading package for Bar Admission Course students focused on the legal history and lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples in Newfoundland and Labrador, including materials addressing Indigenous recognition, residential schools, missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and the experiences of Innu children and families within the child protection system. The 2026 Bar Admission Course will also include a dedicated Indigenous cultural competency session featuring presentations from leaders, Elders, and staff representing Indigenous groups throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Law Society has also conducted outreach to Indigenous communities, including those in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador City-Wabush, the South Coast and the Straits, as part of its ongoing efforts to advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and improve access to justice.
Ongoing work in primary healthcare and ECE
AECENL is building Indigenous knowledge among ECEs through the Roots of Knowledge program (see Call for Change 2). As noted in the 2024 Reconciliation Report, the course “Providing Culturally Safe Health Care for Indigenous Patients in Newfoundland and Labrador” continues to be a mandatory requirement for receiving and renewing a medical licence with the College of Physicians and Surgeons.
For First Voice:
- Continue making connections with licensing bodies in essential areas, focusing first on those where Action Circles are Established (i.e. justice and health).
Action Area 1: Education, Training, and Employment
We envision a city where all residents have a sound understanding of the diverse histories and cultures of the Indigenous Peoples of Newfoundland and Labrador and where they mobilize such understanding to close gaps in education and employment outcomes. To realize this vision, we call on all residents of St. John’s to help advance change in the following ways: