THE IBA CONGRATULATES THE HONOURABLE STEVEN POINT ON RECEIVING THE ORDER OF CANADA & DR. WILTON LITTLECHILD ON HIS PROMOTION TO COMPANION OF THE ORDER OF A

Ottawa, ONT – Please join the Indigenous Bar Association in Canada (“IBA”) in congratulating the Honourable Steven Point, OC, OBC being named Officer of the Order of Canada and Dr. J. Wilton Littlechild, IPC, OC, KC on being promoted to the Companion of the Order of Canada.

On December 28, 2023, Governor General Mary Simon announced the 2023 list of appointees to the Order of Canada which included seventy-eight new appointments. As an organization dedicated to the revitalization, respect, and recognition of Indigenous laws and legal traditions–including upholding the importance of language and culture–the IBA extends its most heartfelt congratulations to the Hon. Steven Point and Dr. J. Wilton Littlechild on this momentous occasion.

The Hon. Steven Point is Sto:lo-Coast Salish from Sq’ewqey (Skowkale). Formerly the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, as well as British Columbia Provincial Court judge, the Hon. Steven Point is well known for “his dedicated commitment to reconciliation and esteemed leadership throughout his trailblazing career as chief, judge and academic, and as the first Indigenous lieutenant governor of British Columbia.”

A graduate of the University of British Columbia, called to the British Columbia Bar in 1986, the Hon. Steven Point’s illustrious career spans over 45 years, holding many esteemed positions, including community leader, negotiator, lawyer, jurist, academic and public servant. During this time, he has championed Indigenous rights and advocated for recognition of Indigenous perspectives which inform dispute resolution mechanisms and improving access to justice for Indigenous people.

The Hon. Steven Point served as a judge of the British Columbia Provincial Court from 1999-2005 and again from 2014-2018. In 2005, he was appointed Chief Commissioner of the British Columbia Treaty Commission, and then from 2007-2012, he served as British Columbia’s first Indigenous Lieutenant Governor. In 2020, The Hon. Steven Point became the first Indigenous person to serve as Chancellor of the University of British Columbia.

Dr. J. Wilton Littlechild is nehiyaw (Cree) from Ermineskin Cree Nation, and is honoured for “his lifelong contributions to reconciliation in Canada and around the globe, and for his inspirational leadership promoting Indigenous athletes in international sports events.” His appointment to Companion is the highest level of recognition the Order of Canada can bestow.

Dr. Littlechild is known within Canada and internationally for his advocacy and leadership on advancing Indigenous rights recognition. He obtained a law degree from the University of Alberta in 1976. A trailblazer from the get-go, he worked on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 1977, and in 1988 became the first status Indian elected as a Member of Parliament. Dr. Littlechild served as Chair of Saskatchewan’s Commission on First Nations and Métis Peoples and Justice Reform in 2001, as well as serving as a commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

As devoted as Dr. Littlechild is to Indigenous rights advocacy, reconciliation, and the implementation of treaties, he is also deeply committed to sports and promoting its importance in living a balanced life. He is a gifted athlete who has been inducted into seven different sports halls of fame. He has also coached and managed many sports teams throughout his life and founded several sporting events that increase Indigenous athlete representation. He was a founder of the Indian Sports Olympics, North American Indigenous Games, and the World Indigenous Nations Games.

The IBA applauds two of our most decorated legal warriors for their steadfast leadership and lifelong commitment to Indigenous peoples, our rights, and laws. The Hon. Steven Point’s presence in the courts and his appointments to leadership in government and post secondary institutions has inspired Indigenous lawyers and law students across the country. Dr. Littlechild’s advocacy for Indigenous rights internationally, his work on promoting truth and reconciliation, as well as his commitment to sport, leaves a lasting legacy for all Canadians and Indigenous people around the world.

It is crucial that Indigenous people are represented at all levels of leadership within colonial institutions and systems. These two individuals have left an indelible mark on all offices and positions they have held and broken trail for those of us to follow. We are deeply appreciative of their strength, humility and wisdom.

The IBA is a national association of Indigenous lawyers (practicing and non-practicing), legal academics and scholars, articling clerks and law students, including graduate and post-graduate law students. We are mandated to promote the advancement of legal and social justice of Indigenous Peoples in Canada and the reform of laws and policies affecting Indigenous Peoples.