Emilie Lahaie (she/her/hers) is a partner in the Aboriginal Law Group at Cassels. Emilie works on Aboriginal and Indigenous legal matters related to Indigenous self-governance, Indigenous rights, Indigenous-Crown relations, legislative reform, regulatory and constitutional issues. In particular, Emilie has developed an expertise supporting Indigenous clients as they revise and implement their laws and governance systems and exercise their inherent jurisdiction.
Emilie also offers extensive experience in negotiations, Aboriginal rights advocacy, human rights advocacy and law reform. Emilie represents a wide variety of clients, including: Indigenous governments, organizations and individuals; provincial governments; and project proponents. She brings a nuanced understanding of the needs of all parties in the Canadian Indigenous legal space to her practice.
Emilie has represented clients at various administrative tribunals, including the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, BC Human Rights Tribunal, Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, Ontario Coroner’s Court and in the Residential Schools Independent Process. She has also appeared on matters before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Ontario Court of Appeal, Saskatchewan Court of King’s Bench, Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. In 2017, Emilie appeared before the Senate Committee for Aboriginal Peoples to testify in regard to the potential impact of Bill S-3.
Prior to joining Cassels, Emilie worked directly with clients from the urban Indigenous community of Toronto through a legal aid agency established by the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto.
