Full Name
Marian Jacko
Title
Assistant Deputy Attorney General, Indigenous Justice Division
Company
Ministry of Attorney General
Speaker Bio
Marian Jacko, Assistant Deputy Attorney General, Indigenous Justice Division
“Every day presents a new challenge and every day, I draw upon the skills and knowledge gained through my education, my lived experiences, and upon teachings of Elders and Knowledge Keepers that I have been gifted or shared with over time and that I carry with me.”
Marian identifies as Anishinaabe and her home First Nation is Wiikwemkoong located on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. She raised her eldest child as a single parent while earning three university degrees, including a Masters degree in social work and a law degree from the University of Toronto. After being called to the Ontario Bar in 1998, she worked with the Office of the Children’s Lawyer as counsel in the Property Rights department until 2015. While working full-time as a lawyer and raising three children, she obtained her Master of Laws degree in 2005 from York University.
Marian’s entire legal career has been devoted to working on behalf of children and Indigenous peoples. After working over 17 years as counsel at the Office of the Children’s Lawyer, she was appointed by Order-in-council as The Children’s Lawyer for Ontario in 2016. She is the first Indigenous female lawyer to serve in this capacity. As the Children’s Lawyer for Ontario, Marian was responsible for delivery of legal and clinical services in the administration of justice on behalf of children. The mandate of The Children’s lawyer is to protect the personal and property rights of children in a wide range of court proceedings as provided by statute or court order. As The Children’s Lawyer for Ontario, Marian represented approximately 20,000 children in the province at any given time. She oversaw two legal departments along with a clinical department and had a roster of agent lawyers and clinicians across the province to help fulfill her mandate.
In 2021, Marian was asked to take on the role of Assistant Deputy Attorney General for the Indigenous Justice Division which is now her permanent assignment. As the Assistant Deputy Attorney General for the Indigenous Justice Division (IJD), Marian has the responsibility, along with IJD managers and staff, to carry out the Division’s mandate and vision of repairing the relationship between the justice system and Indigenous peoples within Ontario while also supporting the revitalization of Indigenous legal systems and making the justice system more culturally responsive for Indigenous people in Ontario.
In 2020, Marian was recognized and honored as the recipient of the National Indspire Award in Law and Justice. This award recognizes Indigenous professionals who demonstrate outstanding achievement, promote self-esteem, and pride for Indigenous communities and provide outstanding role models for Indigenous youth. The Indspire award represents the highest honor that Indigenous peoples in Canada can bestow upon its own people. After 31 years, the Indspire Awards have honoured over 400 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals who demonstrate outstanding achievement across Turtle Island and beyond. Their stories are shared in a nationally broadcast celebration that showcases the diversity of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
In 2021, Marian was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal of Distinction in Public Administration in recognition of her leadership and innovation in public service. This Award is Ontario’s highest honour for public service.
In 2022, Marian received the Law Society of Ontario’s 2022 Laura Legge Award, which recognizes women lawyers from Ontario who have exemplified leadership within the profession.
In 2023, the Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation honored Marian with the Vera Styres Community Service Award.
Marian is currently serving a two-year appointment to the board of directors of Hockey Canada. She also served as a board member for the interim board of Hockey Canada in 2021-22. She serves as Chair of the People and Culture Committee as well as the Women and Girls Committee. She is also a member of the Women and Girls Steering Committee together with fellow Board member Gillian Apps, who serves as the Chair of the Steering Committee.
While on the board of Hockey Canada, Marian has taken a leave from her role as President of the Little Native Hockey League, affectionally known as the Little NHL. While she is not serving as an Executive member of the Little NHL, she still finds time to volunteer to assist in making the annual tournament a remarkable success.
Marian also serves as Board President for Anishnawbe Health of Toronto and is currently serving in her seventh year which is also her third and final term in this capacity. She also has been recently appointed to the board of the Anishnawbe Health Foundation, a registered charity that collaborates with donors and partners to support improved health and well-being for the Indigenous community of Toronto.
Recently, Marian has recommitted her support to the Future of Hockey Lab as one of its board of mentors. She is also part of the Advisory Council for the Indigenous Hockey Research Network.
Marian strongly believes in community service and giving back to the community. She has coached ice hockey for over a decade and the teams she had the privilege to help coach, have been recognized as winning the gold medal in the Ontario Summer games, two silver medals at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championship along with many gold medals at various tournaments across Ontario.
“Every day presents a new challenge and every day, I draw upon the skills and knowledge gained through my education, my lived experiences, and upon teachings of Elders and Knowledge Keepers that I have been gifted or shared with over time and that I carry with me.”
Marian identifies as Anishinaabe and her home First Nation is Wiikwemkoong located on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. She raised her eldest child as a single parent while earning three university degrees, including a Masters degree in social work and a law degree from the University of Toronto. After being called to the Ontario Bar in 1998, she worked with the Office of the Children’s Lawyer as counsel in the Property Rights department until 2015. While working full-time as a lawyer and raising three children, she obtained her Master of Laws degree in 2005 from York University.
Marian’s entire legal career has been devoted to working on behalf of children and Indigenous peoples. After working over 17 years as counsel at the Office of the Children’s Lawyer, she was appointed by Order-in-council as The Children’s Lawyer for Ontario in 2016. She is the first Indigenous female lawyer to serve in this capacity. As the Children’s Lawyer for Ontario, Marian was responsible for delivery of legal and clinical services in the administration of justice on behalf of children. The mandate of The Children’s lawyer is to protect the personal and property rights of children in a wide range of court proceedings as provided by statute or court order. As The Children’s Lawyer for Ontario, Marian represented approximately 20,000 children in the province at any given time. She oversaw two legal departments along with a clinical department and had a roster of agent lawyers and clinicians across the province to help fulfill her mandate.
In 2021, Marian was asked to take on the role of Assistant Deputy Attorney General for the Indigenous Justice Division which is now her permanent assignment. As the Assistant Deputy Attorney General for the Indigenous Justice Division (IJD), Marian has the responsibility, along with IJD managers and staff, to carry out the Division’s mandate and vision of repairing the relationship between the justice system and Indigenous peoples within Ontario while also supporting the revitalization of Indigenous legal systems and making the justice system more culturally responsive for Indigenous people in Ontario.
In 2020, Marian was recognized and honored as the recipient of the National Indspire Award in Law and Justice. This award recognizes Indigenous professionals who demonstrate outstanding achievement, promote self-esteem, and pride for Indigenous communities and provide outstanding role models for Indigenous youth. The Indspire award represents the highest honor that Indigenous peoples in Canada can bestow upon its own people. After 31 years, the Indspire Awards have honoured over 400 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals who demonstrate outstanding achievement across Turtle Island and beyond. Their stories are shared in a nationally broadcast celebration that showcases the diversity of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
In 2021, Marian was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal of Distinction in Public Administration in recognition of her leadership and innovation in public service. This Award is Ontario’s highest honour for public service.
In 2022, Marian received the Law Society of Ontario’s 2022 Laura Legge Award, which recognizes women lawyers from Ontario who have exemplified leadership within the profession.
In 2023, the Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation honored Marian with the Vera Styres Community Service Award.
Marian is currently serving a two-year appointment to the board of directors of Hockey Canada. She also served as a board member for the interim board of Hockey Canada in 2021-22. She serves as Chair of the People and Culture Committee as well as the Women and Girls Committee. She is also a member of the Women and Girls Steering Committee together with fellow Board member Gillian Apps, who serves as the Chair of the Steering Committee.
While on the board of Hockey Canada, Marian has taken a leave from her role as President of the Little Native Hockey League, affectionally known as the Little NHL. While she is not serving as an Executive member of the Little NHL, she still finds time to volunteer to assist in making the annual tournament a remarkable success.
Marian also serves as Board President for Anishnawbe Health of Toronto and is currently serving in her seventh year which is also her third and final term in this capacity. She also has been recently appointed to the board of the Anishnawbe Health Foundation, a registered charity that collaborates with donors and partners to support improved health and well-being for the Indigenous community of Toronto.
Recently, Marian has recommitted her support to the Future of Hockey Lab as one of its board of mentors. She is also part of the Advisory Council for the Indigenous Hockey Research Network.
Marian strongly believes in community service and giving back to the community. She has coached ice hockey for over a decade and the teams she had the privilege to help coach, have been recognized as winning the gold medal in the Ontario Summer games, two silver medals at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championship along with many gold medals at various tournaments across Ontario.
Speaking At
