Latest / Community Champion of the Week / Lisa Weber, President of the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women

Transcript

Lisa Weber, President of the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women · Community Champion of the Week

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Why does your radio network community and all the week?
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, my name is Lisa Weber.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm the president of Esqueo, the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: You are making such an impact in the community.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_01: So you are a lawyer now in a leadership position.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_01: How does it make you feel in your position making a difference?
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: So privileged and honored to be the president of the Squayo, I have to tell you, it's uh been one of the most significant uh community involvements I've had um in my career over the last many years.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: Out of everything you've done and accomplished, because you are an advocate for a lot of indigenous voices here across the nation, you connect a lot of people and you uplift a lot of people as well.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: What do you love about your current position?
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Knowing at the end of the day that women can they feel like they can trust and have built that trusting relationship, and then by extension, really creating positive change for them as individuals.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um so my original connection with Esqueo as a lawyer, I say it begins with the very uh sad case of Cindy Gladiu.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: And back then was, gosh, I can't remember how many years ago, but certainly, you know, unfortunately after her death, and then then the really tragic and unjust uh acquittal of the man who killed her, um I became involved as legal counsel for Esqueo because it just didn't sit right with me as an indigenous woman, with the organization representing and advocating for Aboriginal women.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: As a lawyer, um I became involved in the court proceedings.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: We went all the way to the Supreme Court.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Ultimately, uh her killer was convicted, which which is, you know, in in the justice system, that is justice, I suppose.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but really because of our involvement, and I like to think because of the approach that I took as legal counsel, um, a very particular lens was given to the voices, um, experience and realities of Indigenous women who unfortunately become involved in the justice system.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: And in this case, as a victim, the Supreme Court made some very strong statements.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, this is the highest court in the land.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: They made some very strong statements and direction to those working in the justice system, set some precedents around consent, in particular around introducing evidence in court and really emphasizing the need that myths and stereotypes have no place in the justice system.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm really proud of having been part of making that change in the law for Indigenous women.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: And then just from a personal perspective, you know, we never forget the individuals.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: So it was a really um important uh approach for me to not forget about you know Cindy's mother and family members who sat for years through those proceedings.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I was really blessed to have formed a personal relationship with all of them throughout that very, very difficult case.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: This has been the Windspeaker Radio Network, Community Champion of the Week.