Beginning in October, practicing lawyers in Nova Scotia can begin taking the Indigenous Intercultural Awareness and Competency Training called The Path.
The Path was approved by Council at the November meeting as mandatory training for all practicing lawyers in Nova Scotia. All practicing members must complete this training by June 2025.
This is part of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society’s commitment to improving the cultural competence of the legal profession and responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. In particular, Call to Action Number 27 calls upon Canadian law societies to ensure all lawyers have received appropriate cultural competency training:
“…which includes the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal – Crown relations. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.”
The course consists of six modules and is expected to take a total of six hours to complete. The modules are:
Module 1 – Name Calling
- Lesson 1 – Indians, Inuit, Metis
- Lesson 2 – Stereotypes and Misconceptions
Module 2- Land and Stories
- Lesson 1 – Land Acknowledgements
- Lesson 2 – Origin Stories
- Lesson 3 – Inuit Across the North
Module 3 – Canada’s Colonial History
- Lesson 1- From the Arrival of Strangers to a Royal Proclamation
- Lesson2 – Denial of Rights from after the Royal Proclamation to the Dominion of Canada
- Lesson 3 – Colonization Since Confederation
Module 4 – Contemporary Realities
- We Reap what We Sow
- The City is Home
- Who We are Today
Module 5 – Relationship Building
- Lesson 1 – Worldviews and Cultural Values
- Lesson 2 – Increasing your IQ
Module 6 – Towards Truth and Reconciliation
- Lesson 1 – Rights and Resurgence
- Lesson 2 – The Path Forward
The Path is an educational course developed by Indigenous consulting firm NVision Insight Group, Inc., based in Ottawa, Ontario. The course was designed to help Canadians increase their Indigenous cultural understanding in a Canadian context. This training counts towards mandatory continuing professional development.
We will be posting additional information about the course in the coming weeks.
Where do I register for The Path?
Members will receive an email at the address they have provided to the Society. This will include registration information and more information about the training modules. You can expect this prior to October 1st.
What if I have already taken similar Indigenous-focused cultural competence training?
If you have received previous certification in a similar course, we ask that you email Jacqueline Mullenger at jmullenger@nsbs.org to request an exemption