ABS Canada
We are a group of lawyers, university professors, and law students based at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, ON. Since 2015, our team has been travelling across the country partnering and meeting with Indigenous leaders and members of their communities in a participatory environment to openly explore the issues raised above, alongside many more. We have strived to bring different stakeholders together: government officials, representatives from industries that use TK, and members of Aboriginal communities to build confidence, break down barriers, and reinforce a sense of mutual understanding. Part of ABS Canada’s goal is to deploy its expertise with interested Aboriginal communities to build capacity and facilitate understanding of the current state of the law, and to explore Canada’s position on these issues as it negotiates with other countries. Above all, our focus has been supporting nation-wide Aboriginal participation in these conversations across Canada’s diverse regions with a view to raising awareness amongst Aboriginal peoples across the country on the issue of ABS and the governance challenges it poses for all stakeholders.