“‘You will probably die at this table.’ That’s what my wife said.”
Those are the words of John Olthuis, now in his 80s – a former law firm partner who continues serving as senior counsel for treaty negotiations in Newfoundland and Labrador in a case that was started more than 30 years ago.
In December 2023, for his lifetime of work seeking justice for Indigenous peoples across Canada, Olthuis was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada – one of the highest honours a Canadian can receive. Olthuis was chosen for “his significant contributions to the practice of Aboriginal law,” as well as his “expert mentorship of the next generation of Indigenous lawyers.”
Pipelines & treaties
Olthuis grew up in a “typical conservative, Christian Reformed family” in Western Canada. His dad, he remembers, always stressed how at the core of Christianity was the mandate to love your neighbor. “There are many different ways to love your neighbor, and justice is one of those ways. And so I decided I would become a lawyer.”
Olthuis completed his Bachelor’s degree in 1961 and graduated law school in ‘64. He started his practice in Edmonton. “I soon came to understand that most of the legal profession is there to protect vested interest. It has little or no interest in marginalized peoples.”
In 1962, while still a law student, Olthuis co-founded the Christian Action Foundation (CAF) in Alberta. One of CAF’s major accomplishments was winning public funding for independent schools, including Christian schools. CAF eventually merged with a similar group in Ontario to become the Committee for Justice and Liberty, which later became Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ).
Jim Visser, CPJ Board member, and longtime friend, notes that Olthuis is admired both in secular and faith-based spaces. “He was incredibly insightful and looked up to as a leader and spokesman from a very early age,” Visser says. “He’s truly a gifted leader and commands respect.”
In the 1970s, Olthuis moved to Toronto where he worked in partnership with the Dene Nation concerning the proposed Mackenzie Valley Pipeline. His efforts culminated in the proposal of a Just Energy Policy for Canada, which would include a decision-making framework for energy projects that considers its effects on the environment and Indigenous peoples. Unfortunately, the proposal was not adopted, despite the other church leaders and experts appearing as witnesses in support of the policy. His work helped with a recommendation to create a 10-year moratorium for pipelines in the Northwest Territories, which Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau accepted, allowing the Dene to negotiate a Modern Treaty with Canada.