The Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences welcomes students to tune into their esteemed Distinguished Speaker Series, which invites acclaimed and compelling speakers to the Okanagan to share their unique perspectives on topics and issues relevant to our lives, the region, the province, the country, and the world. The series, which was established in 2006, follows the theme: A Civil and Sustainable Society.
This week on October 28th, the Distinguished Speaker Series will be bringing in another cultural visionary and inspiring figure, Marion Buller. After completing both her undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Victoria, Buller worked in civil and criminal law. As a member of the Mistawasis First Nation, Buller soon became the first Indigenous woman to be appointed to the Provincial Court of British Columbia where she became a Provincial Court Judge in 1994. Later in 2006, Buller played a crucial role in the establishment of the First Nations Courts of British Columbia. In 2016, Buller retired as a judge in order to take on the role of Chief Commissioner of Canada’s National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The same year, Buller was instrumental in establishing the Aboriginal Family Healing Court. Along with serving President and Director of the Indigenous Bar Association in Canada, the B.C. Police Commission, the Law Courts Education Society, and the Law Foundation of British Columbia, Buller also was the Commission Counsel for the Cariboo-Chilcotin Justice Inquiry. With her work, Buller has written and produced numerous articles and papers regarding Aboriginal law, family law, criminal law, and human rights.
“On behalf of the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, I’m thrilled to be welcoming Marion Buller as our next distinguished speaker,” wrote Silvia Tomášková, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. “As the first Indigenous woman appointed to the Provincial Court of British Columbia, I look forward to hearing her unique perspectives on human rights and the role of community in moving truth and reconciliation forward.”
Continuing her work advocating for Indigenous rights, Buller has become a prominent lecturer, writer, and speaker. She will be joining the long list of past distinguished speakers and visionaries including Cornel West, Wab Kinew, Naomi Klein, and more recently Dr. Hadiya Roderique. For this event, Buller will be sharing her knowledge and talking about the importance of partnerships, relationships, and building trust within the topic of redefining community.
This virtual event will be taking place through Zoom on Thursday, October 28th, 2021 at 7:00pm PDT. All are welcome to attend and can register and view online for free through this link or through the Distinguished Speaker Series website page here. After registering, you should be sent a confirmation email with all the information you need to join the Zoom event.
Are you interested in the Distinguished Speaker Series and its upcoming events and speakers? You can also subscribe to receive email updates about upcoming and thought-provoking speaker events coming to UBCO here.
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