Aaron Cressman (he/him/his) is an associate in the Aboriginal Law group at Cassels. He maintains a broad Aboriginal law practice with a focus on working with Indigenous governments to protect their rights and advance their interests through advocacy.
Aaron’s experience includes litigating and negotiating on matters such as Aboriginal rights and title, treaty rights, the Crown’s fiduciary duty to Indigenous peoples, the Crown’s duty to consult and accommodate, and other matters relating to the honour of the Crown. Aaron also works with Indigenous governments on governance related matters, such as child and family service laws, reserve lands, and band recognition under the Indian Act.
In addition to his work with Indigenous governments, Aaron provides strategic advice to businesses and municipal governments on Aboriginal law related matters and has experience representing natural resource and energy proponents on matters before the Canada Energy Regulator, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, and provincial regulators.
Aaron is called to the bar in British Columbia and Ontario and has appeared before courts in both provinces as well as the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. Aaron serves on Cassels’ student committee and is a co-chair of the firm’s Indigenous Reconciliation Group. Before joining Cassels as an associate, Aaron was a summer and articling student with Cassels.
Some of Aaron’s recent and significant mandates include:
- Representing Indigenous governments in claims against the Crown for damages to Aboriginal and treaty rights.
- Representing Indigenous governments in disputes regarding Canada’s breach of treaty obligations. Recent work includes disputes regarding Canada’s failure to provide annuities payments to Treaty 8 and Treaty 2 First Nations.
- Representing Indigenous governments in Aboriginal title claims.
- Representing Indigenous governments in internal governance disputes.
- Advising Indigenous governments on the development of child and family service laws and other core governance documents.
- Representing Indigenous governments in drafting and negotiating self-government agreements and related policy documents.
- Advising Indigenous governments on matters related to band recognition under the Indian Act.
- Representing natural resource and energy proponents in applications and hearings before the Canada Energy Regulator, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, and Alberta Energy Regulator, including applications for the development of wind farms and a federal-provincial Joint Review Panel hearing for a palladium mining project.
- Advising Crown corporations and public service providers on Aboriginal law related matters, including their duty to consult and accommodate Indigenous peoples and potential liability for historic impacts to Aboriginal rights.
- Advising municipal governments on issues relating to land claims and Canada’s Additions to Reserve Policy.
- Advising on trespass liability and on reserve permitting under the Indian Act.
