JFK Law offices will be closed on June 21, 2024 in honour of national Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
We close our offices so that our team can participate in the day’s events to celebrate and connect with communities and the Indigenous territories on which we are privileged to work/live and to reflect on how to contribute to advancing reconciliation.
This special day provides an excellent opportunity to commemorate and engage with the outstanding achievements, unique heritage, and diversity of Inuit, First Nations, and Métis peoples. June also marks National Indigenous History Month, and there are a number of inclusive gatherings today and during the rest of the month generously offering a range of experiences intended for all ages, including live music, workshops, art, and cuisine.
We encourage you to join in on celebrations to learn more about Indigenous Peoples in your area and from across the land and to acknowledge their inherent and constitutionally protected rights.
In addition to events that may be occurring in your area, below are some example of the events to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day happening on the territories of the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples (Victoria), and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Nations (Vancouver) and Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples (Toronto):
- National Indigenous Peoples Day at Royal Roads University (Victoria) – With Canoe Landing Protocol Practice and Challenge, Indigenous artists and vendors fair, live performances, field games, guided nature walks, food trucks and much more. Friday, June 21, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Royal Roads University campus, 2005 Sooke Rd., Colwood.
- National Indigenous People’s Day with the Quadra Village Community Centre (Victoria) – We are looking forward to sharing, honouring and celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day on Friday, June 21, 4-8 p.m. outside of the centre at 901 Kings Rd., Victoria. Join us for free bannock and strawberries, the Bannock Room food truck, and an Indigenous Market. Westwind Intertribal Big Drum will be performing.
- National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration Block Party (Vancouver) – Carnegie Community Centre, in partnership with the City of Vancouver, hosts an Indigenous Peoples Day celebration. Attendees will enjoy cultural sharing performances, community organization tables, giveaways, and more. The event will also feature pop-up performances from J.B. The First Lady, Mannix, Haida Dance Group, and more throughout the day. June 21, 2024 from 12:00pm – 6:00pm.
- National Indigenous Peoples Day at Ambleside Park (West Vancouver) – The District of West Vancouver commemorates this year’s National Indigenous Peoples Day with free activities at Ambleside Park. Attendees will experience Indigenous artists sharing traditional art forms with the community, live musical performances, and a salmon dinner. June 21, 2024 from 4:00pm to 8:30pm.
- National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration Block Party (Vancouver) – Carnegie Community Centre, in partnership with the City of Vancouver, hosts an Indigenous Peoples Day celebration. Attendees will enjoy cultural sharing performances, community organization tables, giveaways, and more. The event will also feature pop-up performances from J.B. The First Lady, Mannix, Haida Dance Group, and more throughout the day. June 21, 2024 from 12:00pm to 6:00pm.
- National Indigenous Peoples Day & Sunrise Ceremony (Toronto) – June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day, formerly National Aboriginal Day. This is a day of cultural significance for First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The City of Toronto has proclaimed National Indigenous Peoples Day since 1998. Every year, the City of Toronto marks this day with a sunrise ceremony, where all are invited to come together to offer thoughts and prayers to the Creator and give thanks for all of creation and Mino Baamodziwin (The Good Life). The ceremony is held around a Sacred Fire and consists of many ceremonial elements that hold cultural significance for Indigenous Peoples, such as strawberries, water and the use of sage for cleansing. June 21, 2024 at 5:30am. Nathan Phillips Square at the Toronto Sign.
- Native Canadians Centre of Toronto Indigenous Day Celebration (Toronto) – Join us on Indigenous day! Friday June 21st 2024 – Indigenous marketplace, cultural performances, fashion show, Indian tacos and cultural tent with music performances by Nikki Ineece Nash & Juno award nominee Shawnee Kish! From 11:00am – 9:00pm, Harbourfront Centre – Canada Square.
While National Indigenous Peoples Day is a day of celebration, it is important to acknowledge Canada’s history towards Indigenous peoples and the many ways that history continues to perpetuate injustice for present and future generations of Indigenous peoples. We encourage everyone to better understand the territory we live on – the First Peoples’ Cultural Council created the First Peoples’ Map, an online interactive map showing the Indigenous territories, languages, arts, and cultures in and around BC.
We also strongly encourage everyone to read, support and, critically, find ways to act on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, the MMIWG Inquiry’s Calls for Justice, and the many other reports and calls for change in Canada with the objective of achieving better recognition of Indigenous rights and self-determination (for example, the independent reports commissioned to investigate the proliferation of Indigenous-specific discrimination in BC’s health care system: In Plain Sight or the United Nations Human Rights Committee’s report on Canada’s alarming human rights record towards, and treatment of, Indigenous Peoples’).