Emilie Lahaie
Secretary
Emilie Lahaie (she/her/hers) is a partner in the Aboriginal Law Group at Cassels. Emilie works on Aboriginal legal matters related to Indigenous rights and self-governance, policy development, and constitutional issues. In particular, Emilie has developed an expertise in Canadian Metis section 35 rights and governance. She offers extensive experience in section 35 rights advocacy, specific claims, negotiations, human rights advocacy and law reform.
Emilie has represented a wide breadth of clients in the Aboriginal law space, including Indigenous groups and individuals, provincial governments and project proponents. Thus, 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, British Columbia 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, 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 was a casework at Aboriginal Legal Services where she worked directly with clients from the urban Indigenous community of Toronto.