Violet Ford

Violet Ford serves as an Adjunct Professor with the School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies at Memorial University's Labrador Campus and holds a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Carleton University's Department of Law and Legal Studies. A residential school survivor and the first woman of Inuit ancestry in Canada to become a lawyer, she originates from the Nunatsiavut region and was born and raised in Makkovik.

Her research centers on the application and legitimacy of Inuit legal traditions within legal pluralism frameworks, critically examining how Indigenous legal orders coexist with state legal systems. This work bridges anthropology, jurisprudence, and Indigenous governance, emphasizing community-based legal practices and sovereignty.

She received the Indspire Award in Law and Justice—the highest honor Indigenous Peoples can bestow—recognizing her transformative contributions to Indigenous legal recognition. This award highlights her impact on national legal discourse and reconciliation efforts.

Professionally, Ford served as Vice-President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, acting as Canada's international negotiator for Indigenous environmental governance under the Convention on Biological Diversity. She previously held the Associate Vice-President of Indigenous Research role at Memorial University, shaped national legal inquiries as Senior Legal Counsel for the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and advised Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated. She maintains active membership in the Law Societies of Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nunavut while contributing to federal advisory committees.