Danielle Lussier

Lussier was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, within the heart of the Red River Métis homeland on Treaty 1 Territory. She is a citizen of the Manitoba Metis Federation.

She pursued her post-secondary education at the University of Ottawa, where she completed a Licence en Droit (LL.L.) and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), followed by a Master of Laws (LL.M.) with a specialization in Women's Studies, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Law. Her academic training reflects an interdisciplinary approach that brings together feminist theory, Indigenous legal traditions, and experiential learning.

Her doctoral dissertation, Law with Heart and Beadwork: Decolonizing Legal Education, Developing Indigenous Legal Pedagogy, and Healing Community (2021), is believed to be the first legal thesis in Canada to incorporate beadwork as both methodology and legal text{{Cite web |title=Our new doctors of law |url=https://www.uottawa.ca/faculty-law/civil-law/news/our-new-doctors-law |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=Faculty of Law |language=en}}—establishing a new precedent for creative, land-based, and culturally grounded research in the field of law.

Lussier's scholarly work emphasizes the integration of Indigenous methodologies and artistic practices into legal education. In her article [https://www.canlii.org/en/commentary/doc/2022CanLIIDocs1622#!fragment//BQCwhgziBcwMYgK4DsDWszIQewE4BUBTADwBdoByCgSgBpltTCIBFRQ3AT0otokLC4EbDtyp8BQkAGU8pAELcASgFEAMioBqAQQByAYRW1SYAEbRS2ONWpA “Other Materials”—Traitorous Love and Decolonizing the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (2021)], she critiques traditional legal citation practices and advocates for the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge systems. Her chapter [https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/the-art-of-teaching/327045 The Art of Teaching: Métis Beadwork and Indigenous Legal Pedagogy (2023)] explores the role of beadwork in conveying legal principles and fostering community engagement. In [https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/becoming-the-academic-auntie-i-needed/374661 Becoming the “Academic Auntie” I Needed: Raising Future Matriarchs of the Academy (2025)], Lussier reflects on mentorship and the cultivation of Indigenous leadership within academia.

She previously served as Associate Professor and inaugural Associate Vice-Principal — Indigenous Knowledges and Learning at the Royal Military College of Canada (2022-2024), and Director of Indigenous and Community Engagement and the Indigenous Learner Advocate at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law (2018–2022), where she founded a beading circle that produced custom regalia for Indigenous graduates—embedding Métis cultural expression into institutional ceremony{{Cite web |title=Indigenous symbolism at convocation |url=https://www.uottawa.ca/en/news-all/indigenous-symbolism-convocation |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=University of Ottawa |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Àbimì turns five: Celebrating Indigenous artistry and community |url=https://www.uottawa.ca/en/news-all/abimi-turns-five-celebrating-indigenous-artistry-community |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=University of Ottawa |language=en}}. She reviews and critiques her experiences at the University of Ottawa's and Queen's University Faculties of Law in several articles including [https://ler.scholasticahq.com/article/137770-dear-legal-ed-one-indigenous-scholar-s-reflections-on-30-years-of-interactions-with-legal-education Dear (Legal) Ed: One Indigenous Scholar’s Reflections on 30 years of Interactions with Legal Education].

Beyond academia, Lussier is an accomplished beadwork artist. She utilizes beadwork as a pedagogical tool and a means of legal knowledge production, integrating artistic practice with scholarly research to engage learners and support the revitalization of Indigenous legal knowledge systems.

In 2024, she contributed beadwork and extra-intellectual knowledge to the [https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/on/bellevue/info/proj renewal] of [https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/on/bellevue Bellevue House National Historic Site] (Parks Canada).

Dr. Danielle Lussier has received numerous honours recognizing her leadership in Indigenous education, legal scholarship, and community engagement. In 2025, she was appointed to the Order of Ontario{{Cite web |title=Ontario Newsroom |url=https://news.ontario.ca/en/backgrounder/1005528/2024-order-of-ontario-appointees |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=news.ontario.ca}}, the province’s highest civilian honour, for her groundbreaking work in developing Indigenous legal pedagogies and advancing reconciliation within the Canadian post-secondary education system. This distinction recognized not only her scholarly contributions but also her creative and community-based approaches to transforming institutions.

In 2021, Lussier was named a recipient of the Order of Ottawa{{Cite web |last=Clerk |first=Office of the City |date=2025-04-10 |title=Order of Ottawa and Brian Kilrea Award for Excellence in Coaching - past recipients |url=https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/city-manager-administration-and-policies/office-protocol/awards-and-recognition/order-ottawa-and-brian-kilrea-award-excellence-coaching-past-recipients |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=ottawa.ca |language=en}}, an honour that acknowledges exceptional service and achievement across diverse fields. Her recognition by the City of Ottawa highlights her tenure at the University of Ottawa, where she pioneered initiatives such as the Indigenous beading circle at the Faculty of Law. The program provided cultural and emotional support for Indigenous learners and produced custom graduation regalia, creating space for Indigenous expression in formal academic ceremonies.

Her work has been widely cited in conversations on Indigenizing curriculum, and her publications are used in law faculties, education programs, and Indigenous studies departments across Canada and internationally. Through her research, she has helped to redefine how legal knowledge is understood and taught—by making space for artistic methods as legitimate and powerful modes of legal scholarly engagement.

Lussier’s emphasis on mentorship—particularly her commitment to supporting Indigenous women and gender-diverse scholars—has inspired a new generation of leaders in academia. She is often described as an “academic auntie,” a term she embraces in both her writing and teaching, reflecting her commitment to care-based, relational models of leadership{{Cite web |title=Law school auntie |url=https://www.uottawa.ca/faculty-law/news-all/law-school-auntie |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=Faculty of Law |language=en}}.

She is also a frequent keynote speaker and has delivered addresses at national conferences on Indigenous rights, decolonization, and education reform. Her work continues to influence policy, curriculum design, and faculty development in post-secondary institutions across the country.

• [https://ruor.uottawa.ca/items/131eba23-74f5-428f-a462-56694664a6c3 Law with Heart and Beadwork: Decolonizing Legal Education, Developing Indigenous Legal Pedagogy, and Healing Community] (Doctoral Thesis, 2021)
• [https://www.canlii.org/en/commentary/doc/2022CanLIIDocs1622#!fragment//BQCwhgziBcwMYgK4DsDWszIQewE4BUBTADwBdoByCgSgBpltTCIBFRQ3AT0otokLC4EbDtyp8BQkAGU8pAELcASgFEAMioBqAQQByAYRW1SYAEbRS2ONWpA “Other Materials”—Traitorous Love and Decolonizing the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation] (2021)
• [https://utppublishing.com/doi/full/10.3138/cjwl.34.1.04 What do you call an Indigenous woman with a PhD in Law: Resisting the subjugation of Indigenous expertise in legal spheres] (2022)
• [https://ilj.law.utoronto.ca/sites/default/files/media/A%20Legal%20Love%20Letter%20to%20My%20Children%20DLM_0.pdf A Legal Love Letter to My Children: If These Beads Could Talk] (2022)
• [https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/the-art-of-teaching/327045 The Art of Teaching: Métis Beadwork and Indigenous Legal Pedagogy] (2023)
• [https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/becoming-the-academic-auntie-i-needed/374661 Becoming the “Academic Auntie” I Needed: Raising Future Matriarchs of the Academy] (2025)
• [https://ler.scholasticahq.com/article/137770-dear-legal-ed-one-indigenous-scholar-s-reflections-on-30-years-of-interactions-with-legal-education Dear (Legal) Ed: One Indigenous Scholar’s Reflections on 30 years of Interactions with Legal Education] (2025)

{{reflist}}

• [https://daniellelussier.ca/en/home Official website]
• [https://www.queensu.ca/llcu/people-search/lussier-danielle Queen's University profile]

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Living people

Category:Manitoba Métis Federation people

Category:University of Ottawa alumni

Category:People from Winnipeg