UAlberta Law students with Roberta Jamieson.
On November 28, the University of Alberta welcomed Roberta Jamieson for the Visiting Lectureship on Human Rights. Ms. Jamieson spoke on "Our Most Fundamental Human Rights Challenge: Relationships with Indigenous Peoples and Education's Role in Successfully Meeting It." She was introduced to the audience by UAlberta Law Dean Paul Paton.
Earlier in the day, UAlberta Law students were fortunate enough to meet Ms. Jamieson, at a luncheon hosted at the Law Centre by the Faculty and the Aboriginal Law Students' Association. During the event, Ms. Jamieson discussed her career, the importance of working together as a community, the Indspire Awards, and the importance of education. A lively Q&A took place following her talk.
Ms. Jamieson is a Mohawk woman from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in Ontario. In 2004, she was appointed president and chief executive officer of Indspire, Canada's premiere Indigenous-led charity. Indspire - the largest non-governmental funder of Indigenous education in Canada - invests in the education of Indigenous people for the benefit of these individuals, families, communities, and Canadian society as whole. The organization's vision is to enrich Canada through Indigenous education and by inspiring achievement. Ms. Jamieson is also the executive producer of the Indspire Awards, a nationally broadcast ceremony honouring Indigenous achievement.
Ms. Jamieson has been blazing trails for more than four decades. She earned her law degree in 1976 from what was then the University of Western Ontario - the first woman from a First Nation in Canada to graduate from law school. Since then, she has continued to break barriers, including as the first non-parliamentarian appointed an ex-officio member of a House of Commons Committee; the first woman Ombudsman of Ontario; and the first woman elected Chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.
Ms. Jamieson was recently promoted from Member to an Officer of the Order of Canada by Governor General David Johnston. In addition, she holds 14 honorary Doctor of Law degrees from various Canadian universities, and at a recent ceremony, was one of 11 women inducted into the Women's Executive Network Top 100 Hall of Fame.