Madame Justice Ardith Walkem

At the heart of Justice Ardith Walpetko We’dalx Walkem’s illustrious legal career are the Nlaka’pamux teachings she learned in childhood. This advocate for reconciliation in the justice system is renowned and respected for her work on behalf of Indigenous peoples legal traditions. She is the very first Indigenous First Nation woman to serve as a Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, and her work on key Indigenous title, rights and treaty rights decisions such as (R. v. Morris, 2006) set powerful precedents for how Indigenous rights should be respected.

A strong advocate for recognition of Indigenous laws and the rights of children, she authored Wrapping Our Ways Around Them: Indigenous Communities and Child Welfare to support Indigenous communities exercising their laws to “wrap their ways around” and protect their children.

Access to justice has been a focus of Justice Walkem’s work in the areas of human rights, raising awareness of discrimination that Indigenous peoples face, including within the justice system. She has worked with organizations such as Legal Aid B.C., the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal., Law Society of B.C. and Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia’s TRC Advisory Committee. She was an active member of the Testify: Indigenous Laws + the Arts Collective which took an innovative approach of combining art and law to raise awareness of access to justice issues.

She is known for her innovative, empathetic, and thoughtful approach to law – an approach firmly rooted in Indigenous legal tradition.

Justice Walkem continues to empower the disenfranchised, teach the next generation, and shape a more equitable society.