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27 Const. F. 1 (2018)

handle is hein.journals/consfo27 and id is 1 raw text is: Introduction A story describing a young girl learning the tra- dition of beading from her grandmother ended the first day of the Reconciliation: Wahkohtowin conference held in Edmonton, Alberta on Sep- tember 22 and 23, 2017. This was one of several Wahkohtowin 'teaching and learning practice' moments woven throughout the conference, designed to immerse participants in the concept. It juxtaposed a prior heartfelt plea by one of the elders in attendance for the imminent need for change in how Indigenous peoples are treated in Canada. These two very different stories, echoed by many elders who spoke, and seen in perfor- mances by Indigenous hoop dancers and an Inuit throat singer, added complexity to the thought- ful presentations given by academics from across the country. The totality created a unique expe- rience which was transforming for some and at various points enlightening or frustrating for others. The conference theme of Wahkohtowin - a Cree word that is foundational to Indigenous law - examined the possibilities and hurdles of a constitutional future built on mutual respect for Indigenous and non-Indigenous law. Pos- sibilities for interpretation of existing constitu- tional provisions and formulation of modern treaties that would create new ways of thinking about Indigenous law and legal systems; giving interpretive equality to the views of legality and constitutionalism within Indigenous communi- ties; the legitimacy of the Crown's sovereignty given its lack of reconciliation with pre-existing Indigenous sovereignties and its perpetuation of Indigenous peoples inequality through tools like the Indian Act; and examples of Indigenous law in action were some of the themes emerging from the many rich presentations given. The three papers in this issue capture these main themes. Colleen Sheppard's piece describes the experience of Jordan River Anderson, a young Cree child who spent his entire life in a hospital as a result of a jurisdictional dispute over provision of homecare services. Professor Shep- perd provides a purposive interpretation of Jor- dan's Principle that not only is capable of resolv- ing jurisdictional conflicts but also embraces the substantive equality considerations necessary to ensure equitable funding for Indigenous peoples. Matt Wildcat follows with an intriguing illustra- tion of how the Wahkohtowin principle affected the amalgamation process of the Maskwacis Edu- cation Schools Commission. His work illustrates how emphasis on the principle of Wahkohtowin allows Indigenous peoples to counter colonial dynamics that impede Indigenous cooperation. Ryan Beaton closes the issue with an overview of the Supreme Court's jurisprudence rejecting substantive justifications of Crown sovereignty, instead favouring forward-looking procedural legitimation of de facto claims of Crown sover- eignty. We hope you enjoy the issue! Patricia Paradis and Colton Fehr* * Patricia Paradis is Executive Director of the Centre for Constitutional Studies and Editor of the Constitutional Forum. Colton Fehr holds an LLM from the University of Toronto and is a PhD Candidate in the Faculty of Law, University of Alberta. He was Assistant Editor on this issue of the Constitutional Forum. Constitutional Forum constitutionnel 1

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