Philippe Boucher
PhD Candidate
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Philippe is a PhD student in Legal Studies working with Indigenous communities in the field of criminal justice. His research focuses on the experiences of Indigenous Peoples in Canadian criminal courts. He explores how Indigenous legal traditions can contribute to the transformation of criminal justice.
He also acts as a Gladue report writer and justice advisor for Indigenous communities in the development of alternative justice initiatives. He is an instructor in Université de Montréal teaching courses concerning Indigenous Peoples and Criminal Justice. He is a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar 2025. Philippe grew up in Montréal, Québec.
Research Interests
Indigenous Justice, Criminal Law, Legal Pluralism, Gladue Principles, Healing, Community-Based Research
Supervisor
Dr. Jane Dickson
Education
- Master’s degree in criminology, Université de Montréal.
- Bachelor’s degree (major in First Peoples Studies, minor in Sociology), Concordia University
- Student exchange in Arctic studies, University of Lapland in Rovaniemi, Finland.
Awards
- Scholar 2025 – Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation (2025-2028)
- Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (2025-2028)
- Doctoral Research Award – Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (2023-2025)
- Master Research Scholarships – Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (2022-2023)
- Community engagement Scholarship 2022, Université de Montréal (2022)
- Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships – Master’s program (SSHRC) (2021-2022)
Teaching Experience
- CRI3001 – La justice pénale et les autochtones (Criminal Justice and Indigenous People) – Université de Montréal
- AUT3002 – Stage collectif (Indigenous immersive course in Kawawachikamach) – Université de Montréal
Publication
Boucher, P. (2023). Napeuat tipatshimitishuat: Stories of Indigenous Men on Ending Violence in Conjugal Contexts [Master’s thesis, Université de Montréal]. Papyrus.
Eichler, J., Boucher, P., Katner, M., Medina Sepulveda, F. S., and Albornoz, L. (2025). Decolonising Epistemologies, Pluralising Justice – Insights from the field of Indigenous Studies. ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen. 1–22.
Vacheret, M., Quirion, B., Boucher, P., Wylde, C., Plourde, C., and Marcoux Rouleau, A. (2022). Culturally Adapted Justice Initiatives for First Nations and Inuit People Involved in the Criminal Justice System in Canada: Some Reflections. Revue internationale de criminologie et de police technique et scientifique, 22(1), 54–72.
Vacheret, M., Kistabish, O., Quirion, B., Plourde, C., Wylde, C., Boucher, P., Boisvert, R. (2024). The Role of Elders in the Social Reintegration of Incarcerated First Nations and Inuit Community Members in Quebec. In B. Lavoie, D. Dabby & D. Koussens (Eds.), The Public Administration of Ethnocultural, Religious, and Indigenous Diversities: Quebec Realities, Canadian Perspectives (pp. 93–108). Presses de l’Université Laval.
Vacheret, M., Quirion, B., Plourde, C., Wylde, C., and Boucher, P. (2023). The Sociocommunity Reintegration Processes of First Nations and Inuit People Involved in the Criminal Justice System in Quebec: Experiences and Perspectives of Indigenous Community Members. Research report presented to the Ministère de la Sécurité publique du Québec, 120 pages, March 2023.
Conferences
Boucher, P. (2025, June). Indigenous Legal Orders and Criminal Law: Transitions in Social Regulation Processes in Canada. Knowledge, Issues, Practices, and Perspectives of Emerging Research in Canadian Studies: 48th Annual International Congress of the French Association for Canadian Studies, Grenoble, France.
Boucher, P. (2025, June). Amplifying Indigenous Voices: Challenges and Opportunities in Teaching Criminal Justice. Craft, Calling, and Community: Canadian Association of Law Teachers – Association canadienne des professeurs de droit (CALT-ACPD) Conference, Saskatoon.
Boucher, P. (2025, June). How Gladue is Applied? The (Non-)Transformation of Judicial Decision-Making in the Criminal Sentencing Process for Indigenous People. Annual Conference of the Canadian Law and Society Association – Canadian Law and Society Association (CLSA-ACDS), Saskatoon.
Boucher, P. (2025, May). Gladue and Mental Health: A Jurisprudential Analysis of Cases Involving Indigenous Defendants Deemed Unfit or Not Criminally Responsible. Graduate Legal Studies Association Annual Conference, Ottawa.
Boucher, P. (2024, June). Breaking Free from Violence and Healing from It: Stories of Indigenous Men Beyond Vulnerabilities. 10th Multidisciplinary Meeting on Indigenous People (EMPI), Sciences Po Law School, Paris, France.
Boucher, P. (2024, May). Fieldwork in Indigenous Contexts: Stories of Men Who Ended Conjugal Violence. 18th Conference of the International Association of French-Speaking Criminologists (AICLF), University of Liège, Belgium.