Thomas Isaac

Partner, Aboriginal Law Group at Cassels

Speaker

Thomas Isaac is a nationally recognized authority in the area of Aboriginal Law and serves asChair of Cassels’ Aboriginal Law Group. Tom has extensive cross-Canada experience advisingindustry, investors, and federal, provincial, territorial, Indigenous and municipalgovernments/agencies on matters involving complex multi-Aboriginal law related matters. Hehas represented clients across Canada at every level of court across Canada, including theSupreme Court of Canada and Federal Court of Appeal. In 2018, Tom was honoured as one ofCanada’s “Top 25 Most Influential” lawyers by Canadian Lawyer magazine.

Tom is a former Chief Treaty Negotiator for the Government of British Columbia and a formerAssistant Deputy Minister responsible for establishing Nunavut for the Government of theNorthwest Territories. He also served in a senior capacity with the Government ofSaskatchewan dealing with Aboriginal issues.

Tom served as the Minister’s Special Representative for the Minister of Indigenous and NorthernAffairs regarding a Section 35 Metis Rights and Reconciliation Framework. His report—A Matterof National and Constitutional Import: Metis Section 35 Rights and the Manitoba MetisFederation Decision—was released by Canada in July 2016. Tom served as the Minister’sSpecial Representative for the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs and the Premier ofthe Northwest Territories regarding the Akaitcho Dene and NWT Metis Nation negotiations in theNorthwest Territories. His report—A Path to Reconciliation—was released by both governmentsin March 2017. Tom also served as the Minister’s Special Representative for the Minister ofIndigenous and Northern Affairs to conduct exploratory discussions on the Gottfriedson classaction lawsuit against the Government of Canada relating to residential school day students.

Tom has published extensively in Aboriginal law, including 17 books, the most notable beingAboriginal Law, 6th Ed. His published works on Aboriginal law have been cited with approval byCanadian courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal. Hisnew book, co-authored with Grace Wu titled Canada & the UN Declaration on the Rights ofIndigenous Peoples was published in November 2025.

Tom is a member of the law societies of Alberta, British Columbia, Nunavut, NorthwestTerritories, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Yukon.