Navajo Nation welcomes first Indigenous attorney general of Canada

Thursday, July 19, 2018  

The Navajo Nation will be hosting Jody Wilson-Raybould, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, next week.

Wilson-Raybould is the first Indigenous person to serve as Canada's top legal official. She is a citizen of the We Wai Kai Nation and a descendant of the Musgamagw Tsawataineuk and Laich-Kwil-Tach peoples, whose homelands are located in present-day British Columbia.

"Throughout her legal career, she has championed the environment and social justice, the rights of Indigenous peoples, the advancement of First Nations governance, fair access to lands and resources, and improved education and health care services," Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch said in an announcement on Thursday.

During her visit to the Navajo Nation on Tuesday, July 24, Wilson-Raybould will meet with Branch and other tribal officials, including JoAnn Jayne, the Chief Justice of the Navajo Nation Supreme Court. She will be hosted in Window Rock, the tribe's capital.

"Discussion will include current issues facing the Navajo Nation and Indigenous peoples in Canada," the Navajo Nation Department of Justice announcement read. "The two chief legal counsels will examine key aspects of Indigenous self-determination and self-government and seek to strengthen their relationship."

Branch first met Wilson-Raybould in March, when both took part in an International Women’s Day event at Harvard Law School. Branch is a 2008 graduate of the law school.