Professor Brenda Gunn appointed inaugural Phil Fontaine Professor in Indigenous Law and Economic Reconciliation

As part of its deep commitment to furthering Truth and Reconciliation, the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law has launched the Phil Fontaine Professorship in Indigenous Law and Economic Reconciliation. Named for an individual who has devoted his life to furthering Indigenous rights in Canada, the Phil Fontaine Professorship was made possible by generous support from community supporters. Professor Brenda Gunn of the Faculty of Law is the inaugural appointee, effective July 1, 2026.

Fontaine is a highly respected Indigenous leader and former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations who served for 15 years as a special advisor to Royal Bank of Canada. He has long recognized the importance of economic reconciliation as an integral and necessary way to further the rights of Indigenous people in Canada.  Fontaine played a pivotal role in the recognition of the harms of residential schools and in securing the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, as well as helping to secure Papal repudiation of the Discovery doctrine in 2023. His leadership has been instrumental in shaping national conversations on reconciliation, governance, and economic justice. Naming this Professorship in his honour reflects UM’s commitment to advancing meaningful reconciliation grounded in Indigenous legal traditions, leadership, and economic empowerment.

“The Faculty of Law is deeply grateful for the forward-thinking community of partners that supports this Professorship. They understand the importance of fuelling research, and honour Phil Fontaine’s legacy and the work he has done for Indigenous economic reconciliation” said Dr. Richard Jochelson, Dean of Law. "The Faculty is pleased to advance this important area of legal scholarship. We have every confidence in Professor Gunn’s abilities to accomplish great work in this capacity.”

Following an internal search process and a collegial roundtable with the Hiring Committee, the Committee recommended Professor Gunn for this appointment, noting the exceptional alignment between the Professorship’s mandate and her long-standing contributions to the Faculty, her community-engaged work, and her leadership on United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)-related scholarship and engagement.

A perfect fit

Gunn is currently six months into a three-year term serving as an Expert Member to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) representing Western European and Other States. An advisory body to the UN Economic and Social Council, UNPFII has a mandate spanning Indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, environment, education, health, and human rights. The Professorship will build directly on this area of Gunn’s involvement, supporting the Faculty’s leadership in Indigenous law and economic reconciliation through scholarship, teaching, and engagement that connect local priorities with national and international frameworks.

"Reconciliation requires identifying and removing the colonial and racist foundations of Canada; economic reconciliation begins with recognizing that Indigenous peoples have always engaged in dynamic and diverse economies,” said Gunn. “Research in economic reconciliation is best advanced by locating it within the context of self-determination and revitalizing Indigenous laws.”

Gunn’s overarching goal with the Professorship is to undertake research focused on identifying and removing legal barriers for Indigenous peoples’ full participation in the economy – “On our own terms,” she said, explaining that, “Specifically, my research will be collaborative (Indigenous led and Indigenous community engaged); interdisciplinary (business, human rights, Indigenous studies, political studies and law); and practical (local impacts with international implications).” 

Research and Activism

Gunn is a proud Red River Métis woman whose family comes from just north of Winnipeg with many of her family members receiving Scrip in 1875. She joined the UM Faculty of law in 2009 and is currently a full professor holding a BA from the University of Manitoba, a JD from the University of Toronto, and an LLM in Indigenous Peoples Law & Policy from the University of Arizona. She articled with Sierra Legal Defence Fund (now Ecojustice Canada) and was called to the bars of both the Law Society of Upper Canada and Manitoba. 

Gunn’s area of research focus has long been centred on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The handbook she developed in 2011 on understanding and implementing UNDRIP has become a main resource in Canada on the UN Declaration, and she has delivered workshops on UNDRIP across Canada and Internationally. 

In 2019, she organized Kiskinohamatowin: An International Academic Forum on the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples at Robson Hall. This forum brought together international Indigenous and non-Indigenous experts, researchers, policy makers and advocates to profile research that Indigenous peoples and institutions could use to achieve further implementation of UNDRIP.

Prior to starting her appointment to UNPFII, Gunn served as Research Director at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation located at the University of Manitoba’s Fort Garry Campus.

Gunn returned to teaching at the Faculty of Law in the winter term of 2025 and commenced her UNPFII appointment in 2026. She taught the upper-year law course, “Advocating for the rights of Indigenous peoples in International law” and took several Manitoba law students to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City at the end of April to attend the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Intrinsically combined with her research, Gunn’s activism pushes for greater recognition of Indigenous peoples’ inherent rights as determined by their own legal traditions. Her current research focuses on promoting greater conformity between international law on the rights of Indigenous peoples and domestic law.