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Congratulations to Schulich Law Associate Professor and Chancellor’s Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy Naiomi Walqwan Metallic, KC, (BA ’02, LLB ’05), who was named the 2026 Laureate for Law & Justice at the Indspire Awards gala on May 14 in Halifax.

More than 600 attendees gathered to celebrate Indigenous excellence at the annual event, which honoured 13 outstanding First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals making an impact in their diverse fields. Considered by many to be the highest honour the Indigenous community bestows upon its own achievers, the Awards are given by Indspire, an Indigenous national charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people.

“I was deeply honoured to be selected for the Law & Justice Award and so happy that I could receive it in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), surrounded by friends, family, students, and colleagues who were cheering me on. It felt simultaneously amazing and overwhelming – but in the best way!” she shares. “I am so grateful for the love and support I have received from so many, including my Schulich School of Law community of colleagues, students, and fellow alumni.”

Metallic is a Mi’kmaq lawyer and legal scholar from Listuguj Mi’kmaq First Nation in Quebec. Her work demonstrates how law, when rooted in Indigenous knowledge, can become a powerful tool for justice and reconciliation. Her contributions, through teaching, advocacy, and scholarship, have helped reshape how Canadian law engages with Indigenous rights, governance, and well-being.

As the first Mi’kmaq person to be a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada, Metallic’s work focuses on three interrelated areas critical to the future of Indigenous Peoples: equitable delivery of essential services, Aboriginal and treaty rights, and the revitalization of Indigenous law. She has written extensively on how jurisdictional disputes between governments produce systemic underfunding of Indigenous services, and how constitutional, administrative, and human rights law can be harnessed to hold governments accountable.

Regarding some of her recent scholarship and advocacy before the Supreme Court of Canada supporting federal legislation promoting Indigenous self-determination over child and family services, Metallic has said, “Legislative reconciliation is needed because the existing approaches to the implementation of inherent rights – negotiation and constitutional litigation – have been insufficient on their own to bring about a mutually respectful relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples,” Metallic shares.

Metallic (centre) with her supporters at the Indspire Awards Gala on May 14.

Visit the Indspire website to learn more about the 2026 recipients. This year’s Awards Gala will be broadcast on CBC and APTN on June 21st, National Indigenous Peoples' Day.