Newfoundland and Labrador provincial court judge, James Igloliorte, as the only Inuk judge in Labrador, says the importance of being a role model has not escaped him. His contributions as jurist and educator and proud spokesman for his people have not escaped the notice of his peers either, who have honored Igloliorte with this year's National Aboriginal Achievement Award in the Law and Justice category.
The 49-year-old Igloliorte, born in Hopedale, Labrador, realized his life would reflect his values back to others as early as 1973 when he became vice-principal and teacher at St. James School in Lark Harbour. In a small East Coast community they'll soon let you know whether or not they like what you stand for; Igloliorte must have been doing something right, because in 1980 the Justice Department in St. John's asked him to assume the duties of a magistrate.

The time had more than come for the Aboriginal people of Newfoundland and Labrador to be represented in the judiciary by one of their own. Igloliorte, already highly educated and experienced in the cross-cultural milieu at the time of his appointment, had a lot to offer.

From the time he first served on the Bench, Igloliorte has ensured the Canadian justice system he respects is applied in a way that respects the culture and traditions of the Inuit and other Aboriginal peoples.

Photo: Bert Crowfoot


Igloliorte made a place for himself in Canadian legal history when he became the first judge in this country to apply the so-called "code of color" to a decision affecting Native people. When a group of Innu occupied a Canadian Armed Forces base, asserting their right to land they consider to be theirs, they were charged with trespassing. Igloliorte dismissed the charges, which the Innu viewed as acknowledgement by Canada that their claim had merit.

Igloliorte has seen his jurisdiction expand, as well as his responsibilities, since he earned his law degree at Dalhousie University in Halifax and was called to the bar in 1985. He has performed judicial duties throughout central Labrador and beyond, in places where his Inuktitut language is often the language of record.
Igloliorte is "very comfortable" in his role now, he says, adding he gets a lot of personal and professional satisfaction in a job that allows him to have contact with people he enjoys working with.

At the beginning of his judicial career, it was a little harder to reconcile the expectations of everyone around him as he undertook to administer the law.
"Early in my employment," Igloliorte explains, "I found it quite disconcerting . . . because I was so young and because I was perceived to be part of the 'system'." Now into his second decade of service, however, people are used to seeing "Judge Jim" presiding. They know that if they have to be in court, at least this judge will make sure they understand the proceedings and know their rights.

Igloliorte has always believed in the importance of education, which he views as an opportunity "to see and learn about things outside your own experience." At the same time, he admits that Aboriginal people who leave their communities to attend school inevitably lose some of their culture.

Since 1949, he explains, when Newfoundland joined Confederation, school curricula have been directed to mainstream models. As in other Native populations, the Inuit have been subject to an education system that did not reflect their language and culture.

Igloliorte says the loss of the Inuktitut language in Labrador can be tied to the decline in influnce of the Moravian church there. When the Moravians brought their version of Christianity from Europe to Labrador they learned and respected the Inuktitut language, aiding its survival. As the outside world moved in, however, the Moravians moved out, and the language declined steadily since 1949, according to Igloliorte. This phenomenon did not affect the Cree who moved there from Quebec, nor the Innu; both these groups have a greater attachment to their language and more retention. Igloliorte kept his language he says, only because he never desired to live away from where he grew up.

In 1974, Igloliorte graduated with a BSc. and B.Ed. from Memorial University of Newfoundland, where he majored in physical geography and minored in geology. As a student he worked as a geological field assistant for a couple of years, before joining the department of education in St. John's. He taught in Lark Harbour from 1973 to 1980.

At the start of his judicial career, Igloliorte was appointed circuit judge for the Labrador coast from Nain to Mary's Harbour, based in Goose Bay. The circuit became all of Labrador from 1985 to 1993. The next three years he served Corner Brook and the Northern Peninsula, including Burgeo and Stephenville circuits. This gruelling schedule kept Igloliorte away from home a lot.

"Four or five years ago, Igloliorte says, I was away for half the year." Now, he adds, it is typically a few days a month.

Over the years Igloliorte has been involved with organizations such as the Boy Scouts, the International Grenfell Association, and the Melville Native Housing Association. He has been a member of the Labrador Inuit Association since 1985, and in 1996 was a member of a Comprehensive Land Claims team. He is a member of the Newfoundland Provincial Judges Association and the Canadian Bar Association.

Wherever his judicial duties take him, he makes time for hunting and spending time with local people. At home in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, his leisure time is often spent gardening with his wife. He grows the root crops, she the flowers, with considerable success despite the short growing season.
"Effort and work equal results," Igloliorte concludes.

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