K’ómoks First Nation made history in early December, when they appointed Dr. Marion Buller as their Justice of the Peace. This is a first in Canadian First Nations’ history, and builds on past achievements of the K’ómoks First Nation, including signing the Framework Agreement in 2014, and voting to approve their land code in 2016.
Dr. Marion Buller has nearly 40 years of legal expertise, and was the first Indigenous woman to be appointed Provincial Court judge in B.C. in 1994, among many other achievements.
Chief Robert Louie of Westbank First Nation is chairman of the First Nations Lands Advisory Board, an organization that works across Canada supporting First Nations communities in re-establishing control over their lands, natural resources and environment. Chief Louie spoke with CHLY about what it means to be a land code First Nation, how that achievement lead K’ómoks First Nation to this landmark moment, and what this could mean for the future of K’ómoks and other First Nations.
