John Borrows facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Borrows
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| Kegedonce (Anishinaabe) | |
Borrows in 2019
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| Born | 1963 (age 61–62) |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation | Lawyer, academic |
| Known for | Canadian Indigenous law |
| Title | Professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law |
John Borrows OC FRSC, also known as Kegedonce in the Anishinaabe language, is a Canadian expert in law. He is a professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He holds a special position there called the Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law.
Professor Borrows is famous for being an expert in Canadian Indigenous law and how Canada's laws work. The highest court in Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada, has even used his ideas in their decisions. John Borrows is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Early Life and Education
John Borrows is from the Anishinaabe (also known as Ojibway) people. He is a member of the Chippewas of the Nawash First Nation in Ontario, Canada.
He grew up near the Cape Croker reserve, which is a special community, on Georgian Bay in Ontario. His mother bravely ran away to avoid being sent to a residential school. These schools were very difficult places for Indigenous children.
His mother taught him a lot about Indigenous laws while they lived and farmed on their land. John Borrows comes from a family with strong ties to their community. His uncle was a former chief, and his great-great-grandfather signed an important land treaty.
John Borrows studied politics and history at the University of Toronto. He earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts degree there. Later, he continued his legal studies at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He also earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Osgoode Hall Law School.
While at Osgoode, he helped start a program for Indigenous legal exchange. This program allows students to learn about Indigenous laws in different countries. It is still helping students today.
Career Highlights
John Borrows began teaching at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law in 1992. He was the first director of First Nations Legal Studies there. He also helped create a legal clinic for Indigenous Peoples in Vancouver. This clinic still helps people in the Downtown Eastside area.
From 1998 to 2001, Professor Borrows taught at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He helped start the June Callwood program in Aboriginal law. In 1999, he worked in Nunavut, Canada's newest northern territory. He helped build the legal system there. He also taught at the Akitsiraq Law School, which was a temporary law school in Nunavut.
In 2001, Borrows joined the University of Victoria Faculty of Law (UVic). He taught there for many years. By 2003, he became the Law Foundation chair in Aboriginal justice at UVic. He also taught at other universities around the world. These included the University of Melbourne and the University of Waikato in New Zealand. He also taught at the University of Minnesota in the United States.
In 2015, Borrows returned to the University of Victoria. In 2017, he became the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Law. This is a special position for top researchers.
In 2022, Professor Borrows moved back to the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He became the first Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law.
Professor Borrows, along with his colleague Val Napoleon, helped create a new law degree program. This program at the University of Victoria Faculty of Law is very special. It allows students to study both Canadian common law and Indigenous legal traditions together. This was the first program of its kind in Canada. It started in the fall of 2018.
John Borrows has also been involved in Indigenous Law programs at many other universities. He has been a visiting professor at places like Arizona State University College of Law and Princeton University.
His Impact on Law
John Borrows is known as a leading expert in Canadian Indigenous law. He is also an expert in how Canada's constitution works. His ideas have been used many times by the Supreme Court of Canada.
Experts like Pamela Palmater say that John Borrows has changed how Indigenous law is studied in Canada. Before, people mostly looked at how Canadian law affected Indigenous peoples. Now, thanks to his work, people are studying actual Indigenous laws themselves.
Awards and Honours
John Borrows has received many awards for his important legal work. He was given a National Aboriginal Achievement Award. He has also been a Fellow of the Trudeau Foundation. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. This is Canada's highest academic honour.
In 2012, he received the Indigenous Peoples Counsel (I.P.C.) award. This award comes from the Indigenous Bar Association.
In 2017, Borrows won the Killam Prize for Social Science. This is a very important award in Canada. In 2018, he was named one of the twenty-five most influential lawyers in Canada.
Professor Borrows has also received several honorary degrees. These are special degrees given by universities to recognize great achievements. He received one from Dalhousie University and another from York University in 2018.
In 2021, John Borrows was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. This is one of the highest honours a Canadian citizen can receive.
