Partner Brian Crane is the namesake of the scholarship
A student from the University of Saskatchewan College of Law won the inaugural Brian A. Crane/Gowling WLG Indigenous Law Student Scholarship.
According to the news release dated Nov. 18, Calvin Bricker, the Métis student who won the scholarship, grew up in Saskatoon. After receiving his undergraduate degree from York University, he was accepted into the University of Saskatchewan’s Native Law Centre program, which is an eight-week summer course that prepares Indigenous students for the demands of legal studies.
Owing to a partnership between the firm and the university's Wiyasiwewin Mikiwahp Native Law Centre, the scholarship was established in 2018, aiming to award $5,000 to an Indigenous student interested in a legal career.
Bricker said that the NLC program equipped him with the necessary skills for his first year of law school. “I believe it has had a major influence on reconciliation by getting Indigenous lawyers into the judicial system as well as closing the education gap and teaching Indigenous students how to excel at law school,” he added.
Bricker then expressed how humbled and honoured he was to have received financial support from Gowling WLG and partner Brian Crane. “I want to acknowledge that I will work hard to become a lawyer who has the ability to pay forward the generosity of you and your firm and create a positive impact on my community,” Bricker said.
Aside from supporting Indigenous learners who hope to become lawyers, the scholarship also recognizes Crane’s achievements and advocacy in advancing the legal rights of Indigenous communities.
According to his profile in the firm’s official website, Crane, a partner in the firm’s Ottawa office, has extensive experience in the negotiation of native land claims. He has also co-authored a book called First Nations Governance Law.
Crane was also a member of the legal team that recently helped win the historic $1.47-billion settlement on behalf of Indigenous students who attended Federal Indian Day Schools and Federal Day Schools across Canada.
