An Indigenous lawyer is bringing her unique perspective to the cases she works on.
Diana Janzen, a crown prosecutor in La Ronge and a Lac La Ronge Indian Band member, grew up in Stanley Mission and moved to Saskatoon to complete her law degree at the University of Saskatchewan.
She then moved back to the north to practice law.
Janzen said she decided to become a lawyer to uplift herself and other northern Indigenous people.
“One of the main reasons to me was, as somebody from the north, I wanted to pursue a career that I knew would empower not only me but would empower my people,” she said. “And I thought a career in law would essentially be that.”
Janzen said she also wanted to get a law degree to show herself and others that you can get an education in the south then bring your expertise to a job in the north.
“The north is home and I wanted to be able to come back and show people in the north that you can go out and get an education, and you can come back to the north and find those positions and stay here,” she said. “Often times people are, I think, intimidated to go off and get an education because it’s scary that you may not come home and have a job or a role.”
Janzen said she thinks it’s important for Indigenous people to be in roles like a prosecutor so they can hold and share different perspectives in their field.
“Growing up in Stanley Mission, and with my background and my upbringing, I think I have a different kind of perspective that not everybody would have, and I often times try to use that perspective when I’m approaching my files.”
Janzen said her background also allows her to connect with witnesses in the north, making them feel more comfortable.
Janzen’s advice to others looking to get into law is to dream big and take it one day at a time.
(PHOTO: Diana Janzen started her degree in La Ronge at NORTEP/NORPAC then went on to the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Photo courtesy of Diana Janzen.)