Powerful. Unflinching. Visionary. Hear Indigenous lawyer and author Harold Johnson (1957-2022) deliver his final public lecture powerfully indicting the Canadian criminal justice system and making an impassioned case for Indigenous justice. A member of the Montreal Lake Cree Nation, Harold was a Harvard-trained Crown prosecutor and criminal defence lawyer who quit practising law because of the harm it was causing Indigenous people. Instead, he devoted the rest of his life to advocating for Indigenous justice and developing and implementing initiatives to bring healing and restoration in Indigenous communities. This special episode was recorded live on November 8, 2021 at the UBC Peter A. Allard School of Law in Vancouver as Harold spoke to the entire first year class. Harold Johnson passed away three months later on February 9, 2022. His legacy and words live on.
Content Note: discussion of trauma, intimate partner violence, violence, suicide, death by impaired driving, substance use, colonial violence against Indigenous people including residential schools and incarceration. There is also mention of sexual violence. Click here for mental health support resources if you need support.
Harold's book include:
Harold Johnson, Peace and Good Order: The Case for Indigenous Justice in Canada
Harold Johnson, Firewater: How Alcohol Is Killing My People (and Yours)
Order your copy of Indictment: The Criminal Justice System on Trial (Aevo UTP, 2023). Visit www.benjaminperrin.ca for the latest news and upcoming events
We are grateful for support from the University of British Columbia and Law Foundation of British Columbia. Thank you to Joan Johnson for permission to share this lecture.
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Credits:
"The Notion" by Northern Points (Intro)
"Inspiring Cinematic Ambient" by Lexin_Music
"Everyday Adventures" by Sound and Vision (Outtro)