Saskatoon lawyer makes jump to FSIN to advocate for Indigenous people

SASKATOON -

Aly Bear aims to use her legal knowledge to advocate for Indigenous people on a bigger platform after being elected third vice-chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations.

“Bringing that awareness to people who may not understand what’s really happening today and the consequences of colonialism and the effects of Indian residential schools,” Bear said.

Bear, a University of Saskatchewan graduate, was called to the Saskatchewan Bar this year and previously articled for McKercher LLP in Saskatoon.

Her father, Darcy Bear, is the Chief of Whitecap Dakota First Nation.

“It’s a part of something I’ve seen in the past because of my dad being a Chief, but at the same time my goal was to help my people in any way I could and that’s why I chose law and why I decided to become a lawyer,” Bear told CTV News.

Winning a seat on FSIN has helped Bear become an inspiration to her two daughters. One of them even wrote a letter to her on a napkin congratulating her the night she won.

“I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me and a lot of them are young women, a lot of them are fathers with young daughters and they’re all telling me that their children speak highly of me and look up to me,” Bear said.

During Question Period last week, Saskatoon MLA Betty Nippi-Albright shared her joy with the legislature on Bear’s win.

“This makes me emotional, because I’m very proud of this young girl who resides in my constituency, Vice Chief Aly Bear,” Nippi-Albright said.

Bear says she’s excited to work with the other four executives on FSIN during her three-year term and thinks her fresh perspective will add new value to the team.

“I’m looking forward to being able to bring that younger energy to the table and also having that connection with wider society, I have that connection with younger and non-Indigenous people as well.”