3.1.1. Acknowledge Ethnocentrism and Practice De-Colonization

The first requirement of understanding and advancing 'justice' is recognizing our own ethnocentrism, or our preference for practices and values that reflect the dominant culture and our own culture, in that order. Recognizing the confines of our values, norms, experiences, and perspectives and understanding how normative our thinking is and the confines of our own values, norms, experiences, and perspectives are preconditions for pursuing and advancing justice [4]. Setting aside our ethnocentrism allows us to critique how inclusive, equitable, and accepting our Canadian institutions really are. With our pre-conceived favoritism towards all things which reflect our perceptions of Canadian culture, we can make space to listen to Indigenous people and learn about Indigenous sovereignty and Indigenous law.

As a practicing lawyer, one of my first encounters with my ethnocentrism was studying for my Masters of Constitutional Law, wherein I considered Indigenous claims of Sovereignty and the recognition of inherent Indigenous law. While my traditional law degree obtained in the 1980s and legal practice had always recognized the supremacy of Canadian law, steeped in British constitutional and common law, my thinking of what exactly was Canadian law expanded. For me, Canadian law now includes Indigenous sovereignty and inherent Indigenous law, which I explain below.
