Tansi Nîtôtemtik,
Judge Arcand-Kootenay speaking at the Knowing Our Spirits Conference on November 21, 2018.
The Honourable Judge Cheryl Arcand-Kootenay became the first Treaty 6 woman to be appointed to the Provincial Court of Alberta on November 6, 2018. This Wednesday, Judge Arcand-Kootenay was honoured for her achievements at the “Knowing Our Spirits Conference” hosted by Iyiniw Education & Training Institute Inc., where she received a Recognition Award. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the conference, which included topics centred on knowledge and how it shapes our understandings of “First Nations, Metis and Inuit Education, Culture, Elders, Youth, Community Wellness, Aboriginal Language, Alternative Medicine, Humor, Residential School Issues and Healing.”[1]
Judge Arcand-Kootenay accepting her Recognition Award, pictured alongside Chief Eddy Makokis and Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild.
Cheryl Arcand-Kootenay is a neihyaw iskwew (Cree woman) from the Alexander First Nation. She lived on-reserve for the first six years of her life until her parents, Beatrice, a homemaker, and Edward, a mechanic, decided to move their five children to Edmonton. After graduating high school, Arcand-Kootenay moved back to the Alexander First Nation, where she raised her son, Brett, and attended the University of Alberta for her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees. The commute was a long one – two hours return – however, she remained committed to completing her post-secondary education, a value her parents instilled in her from a young age.
Judge Arcand-Kootenay recalls one of these trips to the University, when she had a paper due. Although a snowstorm had hit the capital region, she and her mother made the trek on Highway 44. Unfortunately, they hit a patch of ice and slid into a field along the way. A couple of semi drivers stopped to pull out the two, and one of them offered to drive them into the City limits. Her Honour commented, “I made it to the University and delivered my paper – in a time where there was no computers and fax machines, and the assignments were written on typewriters, my education depended on me handing in my assignments in person.”
Ms. Arcand-Kootenay emphasizes the importance of education, and has passed on these values to her children as well. All three of her children have graduated from high school and attended post secondary. Currently, her youngest daughter, Bethany, is pursuing a degree in Native Studies, and her eldest, Breanna, is pursuing her Juris Doctor (and is also a writer for the blog). Her advice to those still unsure of where their path may lead, whether in post-secondary or elsewhere, is to dream big, “if you can dream it, you can achieve it. So, never stop believing in yourself, and never stop dreaming because who knows where your dreams might take you.”
Judge Arcand-Kootenay certainly achieved her dreams, not only in her appointment to the Bench, but throughout her 25 year career as a lawyer. During her articles, she was approached by an Advocate from the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate (OCYA), who felt strongly that an Indigenous sibling group should be represented by an Indigenous lawyer. This was Ms. Arcand-Kootenay’s first contact with the child welfare system, an area of law she had not been aware of prior to OCYA approaching her. Although she had a general practice for the first eight years of her career, her Honour eventually made the decision to specialize in child welfare. Throughout the following 17 years of her career, Judge Arcand-Kootenay represented children, youth, and young parents as a roster lawyer for Legal Representation for Children and Youth (LRCY), OCYA. She also represented the Director as an agent for Alberta Justice, SELT, and AKO Child and Family Services, a Delegated First Nations Agency in Maskwacis. Her Honour also did pro bono work throughout her career.
When news broke that she was appointed to the Bench, and no longer a practicing lawyer, Judge Arcand-Kootenay received a flood of emails, texts and phone calls from friends, family and colleagues across Alberta. Her Honour commented that although many of her colleagues were happy to see her enter a new stage of her career, they were also sad to lose her as a colleague and mentor, as she was well-known and well-respected in the practice of child welfare.
Judge Arcand-Kootenay hopes to be a role model with her new appointment to the Bench, and expresses her gratitude for the opportunity to serve the people of Alberta. One email she received in particular rings true to these sentiments, reading “you certainly are a role model to all First Nations women everywhere, and you bring “hope” to all of us”. In accepting her Recognition Award on Wednesday, Ms. Arcand-Kootenay quoted Chief Dan George,
In the midst of a land without silence, you have to make a place for yourself. Those who have worn out their shoes many times know where to step. It is not their shoes you can wear, only their footsteps you may follow – if you let it happen.
The ReconciliAction YEG Team congratulates her Honourable Judge Cheryl Arcand-Kootenay for all her achievements. We wish her Honour mîyopayowin (good luck) as the newest member to the Bench.
Until next time,
Team ReconciliAction YEG
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[1] Iyiniw Education & Training Institute Inc., “2018 Conference”, (2018), online: <http://iyiniweducation.ca/conference/>.
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