by Krista Brookes, Sr. Policy Analyst, APC

Background
The Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs (APC) is a federal non-profit organization, created in 1995. Its mandate is to “research, analyze and develop alternatives to federal policies that affect its member First Nations.” The APC members are the 38 Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Passmaquoddy and Innu First Nation leaders in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Maine.
The Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs is headquartered on the Cole Harbour reserve in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and has sub-offices in Elsipogtog and St. Mary’s First Nations in New Brunswick.
Legal Defence Fund
Over the past several decades Aboriginal law has dramatically changed. It has become a recognized specialty with a well-documented body of case law.
The Chief Michael Augustine Memorial Legal Defence Trust Fund (LDF) was established several years ago in response to the overwhelming costs associated with taking the Marshall case to the Supreme Court of Canada. There were a few other cases going on in the region as well, such as the Thomas Peter Paul case in NB on logging. The legal defence costs were simply too much for one individual, organization or First Nation to handle, so the APC Chiefs passed a resolution directing APC to establish a legal defence trust fund in memory of one of our former members, the late Chief Michael Augustine of Metepenagiag.
The APC Legal Advisor is tasked with reviewing written appl ...

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