Advancing Social Justice Through Law Conference 2025

LEAF is honoured to announce that acclaimed author and journalist Brandi Morin will be joining us in Winnipeg on November 7th, 2025 for our “Advancing Social Justice Through the Law” conference.
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Known for her clear-eyed and empathetic reporting on Indigenous oppression in North America, Brandi brings a unique perspective to her work. As a survivor of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls crisis, she uses her personal experience to tell the stories of those who did not survive the rampant violence.⁠
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Her impactful journalism has graced the pages and screens of prestigious media outlets, including National Geographic, The BBC, Al Jazeera English, the Guardian, VICE, Rolling Stone Magazine, the Toronto Star, the New York Times, and CBC Indigenous, among others. Brandi’s exceptional reporting has earned her numerous accolades throughout her career, including the 2019 Human Rights Reporting award from the Canadian Association of Journalists, first place in the Print/Online Best Feature Story category at the 2022 National Native American Journalism Awards, top prize in the Feature Reporting category at the 2022 Edward Murrow Awards, the 2023 Ken Filkow Prize for advancing freedom of expression in Canada, and Amnesty International Canada’s 2022/23 Media Award in the Local News/Alternative category.⁠
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Brandi is also the bestselling author of “Our Voice of Fire: A Memoir of a Warrior Rising.”⁠

Leah Gazan, the NDP member of parliament for Winnipeg Centre, will be delivering our mid-day keynote at LEAF’s “Advancing Social Justice Through the Law” conference.
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MP Gazan is a member of Wood Mountain Lakota Nation, located in Saskatchewan, Treaty 4 territory, and has represented Winnipeg Centre since 2019. She is a leader in local, national, and international human rights advocacy, having she successfully moved unanimous consent motions to recognize the residential school system as an act of genocide, and to recognize the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people (MMIWG2S) as a Canada-wide emergency and to immediately invest in a Red Dress Alert system. Seeking to fulfill Call for Action 4.5 from the Final Report of the National Inquiry into MMIWG, Gazan tabled Bill C-223, An Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income, in the 44th Parliament.

In 2024, Chatelaine Magazine presented Gazan with the Doris Anderson Award for her advocacy surrounding the Red Dress Alert. She also tabled Bill C-413, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (promotion of hatred against Indigenous Peoples), to create an offence of willfully promoting Residential School Denialism, and in the current 45th Parliament, tabled Bill C-247, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code, which would repeal Section 107 and protect workers’ right to strike from back-to-work legislation. ⁠

Breanne Lavallée-Heckert (she/her/elle) is a Michif and German woman from Red River and Treaty 1 Territory. Her Michif family is from the Métis community of St. Ambroise, Manitoba, located on the southeastern tip of Lake Manitoba. Her German family settled in Beausejour, Manitoba on Treaty 1 Territory. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Rights from the University of Winnipeg, as well as a Bachelor of Civil Law and Juris Doctor from McGill University. She is currently the Executive Director of Festival du Voyageur, the largest francophone winter festival in Western Canada.

Stacey Soldier is an associate lawyer at Cochrane Sinclair LLP. She is from the community of Gaabiskigamaag (Swan Lake First Nation).

Ms. Soldier received her Call to the Bar in 2008. She has extensive litigation experience and has represented people charged with offenses under the Criminal Code of Canada and the YCJA as well as in Child Welfare proceedings as counsel for parents, children, and Agencies. She has also been co-counsel for Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs at the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Stacey is the President of the Manitoba Bar Association and will ascend to the Presidency in 2025. She is the first Anishinaabe woman to be president in the Bar Association’s history.

Sheila North, a proud member of the Bunibonibee Cree Nation, is a leader, storyteller, and advocate. She currently serves as Indigenous and Community Relations Advisor to the Arctic Gateway Group, the first External Indigenous Advisor with the Winnipeg Police Service, and Executive Director of External Indigenous Relations at the University of Winnipeg. From 2015 to 2018, Sheila was the first female Grand Chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO). A former journalist with CBC and CTV, she continues to provide leadership on Indigenous issues, including Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) and the intergenerational impacts of Residential Schools. She co-produced the documentary ‘1200+’ and authored the memoir ‘My Privilege, My Responsibility’ (2021).

Dr. Karine Duhamel is an Anishinaabe historian and a member of the Red Rock Indian Band in northwestern Ontario. She served as Director of Research for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) from 2018 to the end of its mandate in 2019. In addition to her current role as Director of Indigenous Research for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, she is an official Speaker for the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba, a Fellow-in-Residence for the Auschwitz Institute for the Prevention of Mass Atrocity, a Director of the Laurier Institute Board of Directors, and a Research Affiliate of the Centre for Human Rights Research at the University of Manitoba.

Allison Fenske is Clinical Counsel at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law, which includes acting as Director of the University of Manitoba Community Law Centre – a long standing partnership with Legal Aid Manitoba providing law students with the opportunity to represent individuals who would not otherwise receive legal aid. Allison also supports the Faculty’s International Human Rights Clinic and teaches Gender and the Law.

Allison was called to the bar in 2008. Her litigation practice has focused on human rights, constitutional and administrative law. She has represented an array of equity-deserving groups before all levels of court in Manitoba, the Federal Court, and the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as numerous provincial and federal administrative tribunals.

From representing residential school survivors in her early years of practice to representing 2SLGBTQ+ families in a successful constitutional challenge to Manitoba’s definition of legal parentage in the Family Maintenance Act, Allison’s advocacy work has focused on navigating legal issues through a lens of social inclusion and advancing the rights of people and communities marginalized through state and systemic oppression.

Victoria S.B. Perrie is a 2S Métis-Cree lawyer, artist, and educator whose practice bridges criminal law, Indigenous rights, and systemic advocacy. Called to the Bars of Nunavut, Manitoba, and New Brunswick, she is a litigator in the High Arctic and serves clients through her growing Manitoba based firm, Perrie Law. Her work is grounded in both formal legal training, holding a Juris Doctor from the University of Manitoba and pursuing an LLM at Osgoode, and teachings from Elders across Turtle Island.

Victoria has worked with Legal Aid Nunavut, the United Nations, and Global Affairs Canada, where she was recognized as an Indigenous justice expert. She co-founded Kíwétinohk Consulting, a 2S Indigenous-led initiative supporting justice and governance rooted in self-determination. Her recent scholarship includes co-authoring Northern Lights, Southern Justice: Charting a Course for Inuit-Focused Legal Services (2025), which calls attention to the urgent need for Inuit-specific legal supports in Manitoba and beyond. She also led the Inuit Legal Clinic Summit, convening Elders, lawyers, and community members to shape culturally grounded models for access to justice.

Her writing and presentations extend internationally, from addressing gender-based violence at the UN CEDAW Committee, to publishing poetry in the Pawaatamihk Journal of Métis Thinkers. She has been recognized with the King Charles III Coronation Medal, the Indigenous Bar Association Scholarship, and the Yude M. Henteleff Award in Human Rights and Civil Liberties.

Victoria serves as Vice President of the Indigenous Bar Association, and as Director with the Nunavut Law Foundation. Through law, art, and education, she remains committed to advancing Indigenous voices, closing systemic justice gaps, and inspiring transformative change. Victoria is @arcticlawyer on TikTok, where she provides accessible legal education to thousands of viewers. This platform has become an extension of her advocacy, helping demystify the justice system and supporting access to justice for Nunavummiut.

Hilda Anderson-Pyrz is a proud member of O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation (OPCN) and a nationally respected Indigenous leader whose work turns lived experience into powerful advocacy and systemic change.

As President of the National Family and Survivors Circle Inc., she brings the strength of a survivor and the perspective of a family member directly impacted by the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people (MMIWG2S+). Her leadership is grounded in deep community connection and frontline expertise.

Hilda’s work is rooted in the understanding that Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people are sacred. She is committed to centering the voices of families and survivors, and to advancing Indigenous-led, rights-based, and decolonizing approaches to justice and healing. Her advocacy is guided by cultural knowledge, humility, and a vision for self-determined futures for all Indigenous peoples.

Raised on the shores of South Indian Lake and Rusty River, Hilda’s early life was shaped by the land and the teachings of her late father, a commercial fisherman and trapper. These foundations instilled a deep sense of identity, responsibility, and purpose, anchored in the strength of her Cree language, values, and traditions.

For over two decades, Hilda has led transformative initiatives at the local, regional, and national levels. She played a key role in creating the MMIWG Liaison Unit at Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc., where she served as Director for five years. Her leadership has also extended to the Families First Foundation and the Manitoba MMIWG Coalition. Whether at community gatherings or international forums like the United Nations, she speaks with the authority of lived experience and the power of collective truth.

Hilda’s lifelong dedication has earned numerous awards recognizing her impact on justice, healing, and systems change. She is not only an advocate, she is a movement builder, a truth-teller, and a protector of community. With courage and compassion, she carries forward the stories of those who are missing, murdered, and surviving and calls on all to stand together in building a just future rooted in accountability and action.

Sandra DeLaronde, MA LT, LL.D (h.c.), is a respected matriarch, Knowledge Keeper, and advocate dedicated to empowering Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people in Manitoba and beyond. Her work is fundamentally driven by the urgent need to implement the Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG2S+). Dr. DeLaronde’s advocacy is not abstract; it is direct, persistent, and grounded in the lived realities of MMIWG2S+ families and survivors.

As Project Lead of Giganawenimaanaanig, the MMIWG2S+ Implementation Committee, she stands as a powerful voice for Indigenous women and their families, working to end violence ensure their experiences shape policy and action at all levels.

Throughout her career, Dr. DeLaronde has shown what ethical leadership can accomplish, building systems that honour Indigenous ways of knowing. Her life’s work stands as a testament to visionary thinking, cultural humility, and unwavering resilience, laying the foundation for a safer, more equitable future for generations to come.

Erin Okrainec (She/Her) is a Canadian-Ukrainian researcher, public servant, and Métis-style fiddle player from Winnipeg, Manitoba, now based in Ottawa. Her work has been shaped by a life of listening, learning, and walking alongside those doing essential work in their communities. She has volunteered with numerous community-led initiatives, worked in the House of Commons, and now serves as a federal public servant in litigation and information management. A soon-to-be graduate of Carleton University’s Public Affairs and Policy Management program, Erin has focused on building thoughtful, justice-driven policy that removes barriers and responds to real community needs. Her Honours Research Essay, Bridging the Gaps: The Role of Community Initiatives in Addressing MMIWG2S+ Policy Gaps and Strengthening the Calls for Justice, is the result of over a year and a half of research grounded in conversations with community members, policy-makers, and legal experts. Outside of research and public service, Erin is an award-winning Métis-style fiddle player who learns and shares traditional tunes, carrying them forward so they are never forgotten.

Anna Huard (she/her/ikwe) is the MMIWG2S+ Coordinator at SCO. She is a proud Two Spirit citizen of Couchiching First Nation and was raised in Winnipeg. With years of experience on both on the frontline and behind the scenes, Anna is dedicated to ensuring MMIWG2S+ impacted community members in the south can access the services they need to be supported.

In 2016, Anna graduated with a Master’s in Indigenous Development at the University of Winnipeg where she discovered her passion for cultural revitalization, in addition to writing and research. After completing her degree, she moved to Victoria, BC, to work as an Indigenous Arts Researcher; however, after 4 years, she was homesick for her hometown. She returned after 4 years to work with community members who are impacted by gender-based violence and hasn’t looked back since.

My name is Priscilla Robert, and I bring over 20 years of experience working with grassroots organizations that support Indigenous women, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people. My work has mainly focused on addressing sexual exploitation, homelessness, and addictions—centering safety, dignity, and healing for those most impacted by violence and systemic inequities.

Grounded in Indigenous teachings, ceremony, and community connection, I believe in walking alongside people with compassion and respect, recognizing that everyone carries their own strengths, stories, and gifts. My approach is guided by the Seven Sacred Teachings—love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility, and truth—and rooted in the belief that healing begins through culture, connection, and belonging.

Throughout my career, I have been dedicated to creating safe, low-barrier spaces that uplift Indigenous identity and resilience. I am passionate about restoring balance, rebuilding trust, and supporting healing journeys through strength-based, culturally grounded approaches that honour the strength and spirit within each individual and community.

Hailey Bird Matheson (she/her) is an urban Indigenous woman from Peguis First Nation on her maternal side and of Scottish and French ancestry on her paternal side. She is a fancy and jingle dress dancer, a beadwork artist, and prioritizes supporting her relatives in connecting to community, culture, and the land. Hailey is the founder of the ‘Community Cuzzins’ program, which offers cultural and land-based programming as life promotion for Two-Spirit and Queer Indigenous youth in the urban centre of Winnipeg. She has a BSW from UBC and MSW-IK (Masters of Social Work in Indigenous Knowledges) from the UofM.

Hailey has 9 years of experience in frontline work in Vancouver and Winnipeg, primarily in harm reduction, land-based programming, crisis support and trauma therapy. She is currently practicing as a therapist, supporting primarily urban Indigenous people in Treaty One. She hosts dialogues and workshops on trauma-informed practice, harm reduction and naloxone training, and advocates for the inclusion of Indigenous voices in these spheres of practice.

The Bannock Babes are a collective of Indigenous Drag artists in Winnipeg Manitoba that was created in response to the lack of Indigenous representation at drag shows. Since starting in 2019, they have helped raise funds for local charities, participated in a piece published for the Canada Arts Magazine, performed for notable events like the No Stone Unturned concert, Read By Queens at the Winnipeg Art Gallery during the Kent Monkman exhibit, the St.Boniface Synonym Art Consultation mural unveiling by artist Peatr Thomas, and more. The group has also performed in many high-profile shows, from the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network’s APTN Indigenous Day Live to the 2-Spirit Ball in Ottawa, as well as Friendship Centre events and small-town performances like the Waywayseecappo First Nation’s Pride parade.