Nunatsiaq News - Meet Joey Flowers: Nunavik's first Inuk law school graduate

On June 8 you would have been hard pressed to find a happier person in Montreal than Joey (Joseph) Flowers. That’s the day when Flowers became Nunavik’s first Inuk law school graduate. Flowers, 33, received two law degrees from McGill University, one in civil law, the legal system of Quebec, and a second one in common law, the British-based legal system used in the rest of Canada.

For the convocation ceremony, Flowers wore a red stole, a gift from McGill First Peoples’ House, which features an eagle feather, a symbol of authority and honour, and the Hiawatha wampum belt, symbolizing the Iroquois Confederacy, on whose territory McGill University now stands. Flowers also wore a sealskin tie made for the event by Mary Aitchison of Kuujjuaq — “a tangible sign of some of the support I’ve had through my studies,” Flowers told Nunatsiaq News…

“I was very proud of everything that I’ve accomplished and very grateful for all the support I’ve had, from my professors at school, from my classmates and my family,” said Flowers about his thoughts as he collected the degrees earned since August 2008...