We are honoured to have Joanna Recalma as our Keynote Speaker for this year's festival. Joanna will share her thoughts on, Reconciliation and Reckoning within the Canadian Legal System.
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Joanna Recalma is an unconventional mother, wife, lawyer and wonderful orator. She is often recognized by the unmistakable silhouette of her wild curly hair. She is a random abstract thinker known to make compelling legal arguments. Brilliant in court and in life, she is also easily distracted by her intense focus and curiosity of the world—regularly losing her wallet, keys and all sense of time.

Her bloodlines include Pentlatch, 'Namgis, Haida, Icelandic and Chilean. Her work is inspired by her grandparents and mentors—she roots for the underdog. She mainly practices family law, but in a pinch, she takes on constitutional and civil law cases focusing on Indigenous rights to hunt, fish and live. Like a salmon, Joanna has returned home to the Qualicum reserve where she was raised on the Big Qualicum River.

Her passion for wildlife photography and her inappropriate sense of humour provide Joanna with peace and relief from the adversarial legal world. We are honoured to have Joanna as our Keynote Speaker at this year's festival.