Class of 2016 graduates from Bora Laskin Faculty of Law
Congratulations to our first class of graduates, who convocated on May 27, 2016 from the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University! We are proud to have 58 new alumni of our program.
There was a law ceremony in the morning for students and their families. Graduates were welcomed with a prayer and drum by Elder Isabel Mercier, addressed by our new Dean Angelique EagleWoman, and addressed by Dr. Mariette Brennan, one of the founding faculty members. Warren Mouck addressed his classmates as the valedictorian. The full video of the ceremony can be viewed here.
We were also very honoured to also have Senator Murray Sinclair speak to the class (pictured below) - he has met the class in a number of visits to the school and is a strong advocate of our program. 
In the afternoon, the class from the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law convocated along with the Faculties of Business, Engineering and Medicine, at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium.
Jean Charest was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws and spoke to the graduating classes. As he said in his address: "This day is for you. For your family and friends, for the Faculty members of your departments and for all of you this is a very special moment. You are the first in Canada to graduate from an Integrated Practice Curriculum in the Faculty of Law. You are the first students to graduate from this university and from any Canadian university that I know of, with training that has prepared you to serve the people of northern Canada and of northern Ontario in particular, with specialized training in small and sole practice of law, natural resources based law, and Aboriginal and Indigenous law. You have been chosen. Chosen to be the advocates of social justice, chosen to support and lead economic development. You have been chosen because you are already, at this point in your life, leaders in your community."
The full afternoon convocation ceremony can be viewed here. The 2016 Convocation Booklet/Program can be viewed here.
We wish our graduates all the best as they move forward in their careers across Ontario and Canada. As Dean EagleWoman said in her address to the class:"We hope you take some of the legacy of Chief Justice Bora Laskin with you as you graduate. When you are called to service, we hope you will gladly and willingly answer the call. With the courses and knowledge you have gained here, we hope you will join in the local, provincial, and national conversation on Aboriginal rights and quality of life. As natural resource projects are developing, we hope you will feel confident in bringing in your perspectives on what you have learned here. And we hope you are always dedicated to access to justice in northern Ontario."