A member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, Francine grew up In Pelican Narrows, Saskatchewan, a Cree Community in Northern Saskatchewan. Francine speaks fluent Cree. 

Francine completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2002 and her Juris Doctor in 2013, both at the University of Saskatchewan.  She was called to the bar in Ontario in 2017 and began working as a Statement Taker and then Commission Counsel with the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in 2017. 

In 2019, Francine moved into First Nations Politics and Governance first working with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations and then Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation where she provided legal advice and assistance in various areas including: Election Codes, First Nations Constitutions, Appeals Tribunals, Employment Law, Contracts, Community Engagements, Indian Day Schools, Wills, Indian Act, indigenous Governance and current legal issues affecting First Nations. 

In September 2022, Francine joined Public Prosecutions as a Crown Prosecutor and represented the Province in the area of Criminal Law and Public Safety. 

Francine has a son and is an award-winning published poet.  She writes on Indigenous themes, current events, kinship, and the land. 

PRACTICE AREAS 

• Indigenous Law
• Wills and Estates
• Litigation
• Governance
• Economic Development

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• National Level – Statement Taker with NIMMIWG – interviewing in all provinces including Nunuvut and Yukon 
• Provincial Level – FSIN – providing information sessions on legal issues to First Nations Communities in Saskatchewan 
• Local Level – PBCN – providing information on local and national legal issues to community members  

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

• Member, Law Society of Saskatchewan
• Member, Indigenous Bar Association
• Member, Canadian Bar Association

BAR ADMISSIONS & EDUCATION

• Ontario Bar, 2017
• Juris Doctor , University of Saskatchewan, 2013
• Bachelor of Arts, University of Saskatchewan, 2002

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS

• CBC Poetry Prize Longlist, 2021 
• Indigenous Voices Awards, Work in an Indigenous Language, Vancouver 2019 
• Harvey Bell Memorial Prize, Native Law Centre, University of Saskatchewan 2016 
• Roger Carter Scholarship Award, Indigenous Law School Association, UofS, 2016 
• Indigenous Bar Association Student Scholarship, Indigenous Bar Association, 2015 
• Saskatchewan Canadian Bar Association Aboriginal Student Scholarship, UofS, 2014 
• Access to Justice Award, Native Law Centre, 2013