Pelican Narrows lawyers inspire others to enter legal profession

Six lawyers, one retired judge and one graduate waiting to take the bar exam, all from Pelican Narrows, Sask., gathered recently to reconnect over a meal of moose and pemmican.

Through story sharing and a photo shoot they wanted to showcase in a powerful and respectful way who they are, and the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation community they come from.

Cara Merasty, a Crown prosecutor working in Prince Albert, Sask., said Gerald Morin, a retired judge, led the way. 

"It was one of those things where I saw another Indigenous person and said I could do this and so that's where I drew my inspiration," she said. 

She graduated from high school in Pelican Narrows and had to leave her community and travel 400 kilometres to Saskatoon to attend post-secondary school. 

But she mostly practised law in northern Saskatchewan during the start of her career.

"They called us 'bush lawyers,'" said Cara Merasty.

"We would go on the [Twin Otter] plane and fly all over northern Saskatchewan. I did defence work at that time for about five years with legal aid." 

She speaks Cree fluently, and said her Northern clients feel more comfortable working with her. 

"I've represented a lot of young people all over northern Saskatchewan," she said. 

"As soon as I started speaking my language, you could see them relax, take a deep breath." 

Her niece, Francine Merasty, is a Crown prosecutor in Saskatoon. Francine Merasty is also fluent in Cree and said she didn't learn to speak English until she went to the Prince Albert Residential School.

She said, as a residential school survivor, she saw non-Indigenous people representing other survivors and decided she wanted to be the one to represent her people. 

She's left Pelican Narrows, and returned, and left again, and said she was initially hesitant to leave home. 

"I really didn't want to go, you know. I didn't want to leave my community because I like being with my family, my extended family, my aunts and uncles and my cousins," she said.

"I didn't feel safe leaving but there was really nothing to do there."

Francine said she would often call her mom, wanting to come home, but her mom would encourage her to continue her studies. She said she eventually made friends and came to love city life. 

'An inspiration'

Nicolette Merasty, another of Cara's nieces, was called to the bar last November and now works for a family law firm in Saskatoon.

She said knowing the hardships First Nations people face every day, including in the justice system, "watching her work in that, it was such an inspiration for me."

All three lawyers said they have faced stereotypes, microaggressions, and racism at old workplaces and in law school but said with the support from their families and community they don't let it stop them from doing their work.

Cara Merasty said she often takes them as learning experiences.

Nicolette Merasty said she learned from the other lawyers from Pelican Narrows just to let it wash away, to acknowledge that you saw it happen, but then don't let it ruin the reason why you're there.

Francine Merasty said, "We've survived this long and we're going to overcome those challenges, so just hold on."

"We're going to heal and we're going to get better, and things are looking good. We live with amazing traditions, values, kinship and not a lot of people have that in Canadian society.

"Sure people have their families, but do they have 100 cousins? It's rich," she said.