Marion R. Buller , is a
First Nations
First nations are indigenous settlers or bands.
First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to:
Indigenous groups
*List of Indigenous peoples
*First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...
jurist (retired), practising lawyer with Miller Titerle+Co. in
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
and current chancellor of the
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria (UVic) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1903 as Victoria College, British Columbia, Victoria Col ...
.
Buller served as the Chief Commissioner for the
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls from 2016 to 2019.
A member of
Mistawasis First Nation,
she was the first First Nations woman to be appointed to the
Provincial Court of British Columbia
The Provincial Court of British Columbia (BC Provincial Court) is a trial level court in British Columbia that hears cases in criminal, civil and family matters.
The Provincial Court is a creation of statute, and as such its jurisdiction is ...
in 1994,
and presided in courts throughout B.C.
She established the First Nations Courts of British Columbia in 2006
and provided the foundation for the Aboriginal Family Healing Court in 2016. Buller served as President of the Indigenous Bar Association and served as Director of the B.C. Law Court Society, B.C. Law Foundation, B.C. Police Commission and the B.C. Mediators Roster. Buller has lectured and written numerous articles and papers about Aboriginal law, criminal law, family law and human rights. She lives in Victoria, B.C.].
Career
Marion Buller attended the
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria (UVic) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1903 as Victoria College, British Columbia, Victoria Col ...
where she received a
Bachelor of Arts, BA in
Anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...
in 1975 and later graduated with her
LLB in 1987. Buller’s career in law was nothing far from noteworthy; she was instrumental in facilitating several organizations regarding Indigenous rights, women’s rights, Aboriginal law, family law and human rights. From 1988-1994, Buller worked as a
civil and
criminal
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...
lawyer in British Columbia. In 1994, Buller was appointed to the
Provincial Court
The court system of Canada is made up of many courts differing in levels of legal superiority and separated by jurisdiction. In the courts, the judiciary interpret and apply the law of Canada. Some of the courts are Government of Canada, feder ...
bench, making her the first female Indigenous Judge in British Columbia.
During her legal career, Buller worked as both president and director of Canada’s Indigenous Bar Association; a national nonprofit association of
First Nations
First nations are indigenous settlers or bands.
First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to:
Indigenous groups
*List of Indigenous peoples
*First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...
,
Métis
The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...
, and
Inuit
Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...
persons in Canada trained in the field of law. Membership includes judges, lawyers, political leaders, academics, articling and law students. She also has been an active member of several other organizations such as the B.C. Police Commission, the BC Mediators’ Roster, the Law Foundation of B.C. and the Law Courts Education Society - a nonprofit organization that provides educational programs and services regarding the justice system in Canada. Among the many other milestones mentioned of Buller’s career, in 2006, she was established the First Nations Court of British Columbia; a criminal sentencing court which uses restorative justice and traditional ways to reach balance and healing. Judge Buller also developed the foundation for the Aboriginal Family Healing Court, a Court to address the return of Indigenous children to their families. Buller has written notable papers and articles which highlighted the inconsistencies within the Justice System regarding
Indigenous rights, women’s rights,
Aboriginal law, etc. She was also Commission Counsel for the
Cariboo-Chilcotin Justice Inquiry which examined the relationship between the
Cariboo-Chilcotin people and the justice system.
In 2016, Buller retired from her position as Judge at the
Provincial Court of British Columbia
The Provincial Court of British Columbia (BC Provincial Court) is a trial level court in British Columbia that hears cases in criminal, civil and family matters.
The Provincial Court is a creation of statute, and as such its jurisdiction is ...
. After retirement she was appointed as Chief Commissioner for the
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which examined the systemic causes of the
MMIW crisis in Canada. As Chief Commissioner of the inquiry, Buller oversaw the writing of the inquiry's two-volume final report, ''Reclaiming Power and Place'' which examines the causes for the disturbing statistics of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people in Canada.
In 2021, Buller was appointed as the 12th chancellor of the University of Victoria and subsequently began her term on January 1, 2022.
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
On December 8, 2015, the
Liberal government announced the start of the
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The inquiry was set to conclude at the end of 2018. However, Chief Commissioner Buller requested an extension to the inquiry.
The final report released on June 3, 2019, concluded that the violence faced by Indigenous women and girls is caused by state action and inaction.
Within the report, Commissioner Buller refers to this ongoing violence as a “deliberate, race, identity and gender-based
genocide
Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...
”.
Among many criticisms of the inquiry was the refusal of the
federal government
A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
to grant the full two year extension that was requested, which Buller saw as another “part of this national tragedy”.
Awards
In 2012, Buller received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Victoria Faculty of Social Science.
In 2016,
Maclean's
''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...
listed her as one of only six people who might be especially influential on policy in the
Trudeau government. Buller has received numerous other awards, including the Queen's Golden Jubilee which recognizes Canadians who demonstrate leadership and talent in performing and visual arts. She also received a Diamond Jubilee Medal which acknowledges Canadian citizens who have greatly contributed to the country and brought great credit to Canada. Marion Buller received the Rosemary Brown Award for Women. This award recognizes a British Columbia based woman who upholds the values and ideals of which
Rosemary Brown did during her life.
"Rosemary Brown Award for Women."
/ref> She also received the Vancouver YWCA Woman of Distinction Award for Reconciliation in Action.
In 2021, Buller was granted a Doctor of Laws (h.c.) degree by Thompson Rivers University. In 2022, Buller was granted a Doctor of Laws (h.c.) degree by Lakehead University and was appointed to the Order of Canada.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buller, Marion
Living people
Canadian people of Cree descent
First Nations judges
20th-century Canadian women judges
20th-century First Nations people
20th-century First Nations women
21st-century Canadian judges
Judges in British Columbia
Members of the Order of Canada
Activists from Vancouver
Year of birth missing (living people)
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls movement
21st-century First Nations people
21st-century First Nations women
First Nations women in politics
21st-century Canadian women judges