Thomas Isaac

Partner, Aboriginal Law Group at Cassels

Speaker

Thomas Isaac is a nationally recognized authority in the area of Aboriginal Law and serves as Chair of Cassels’ Aboriginal Law Group. Tom has extensive cross-Canada experience advising industry, investors, and federal, provincial, territorial, Indigenous and municipal governments/agencies on matters involving complex multi-Aboriginal law-related matters. He has represented clients across Canada at every level of court across Canada, including the Supreme Court of Canada and Federal Court of Appeal. In 2018, Tom was honoured as one of Canada’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 former Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for establishing Nunavut for the Government of the Northwest Territories. He also served in a senior capacity with the Government of Saskatchewan, dealing with Aboriginal issues. Tom served as the Minister’s Special Representative for the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs regarding a Section 35 Metis Rights and Reconciliation Framework. His report—A Matter of National and Constitutional Import: Metis Section 35 Rights and the Manitoba Metis Federation Decision—was released by Canada in July 2016. Tom served as the Minister’s Special Representative for the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs and the Premier of the Northwest Territories regarding the Akaitcho Dene and NWT Metis Nation negotiations in the Northwest Territories. His report—A Path to Reconciliation—was released by both governments in March 2017. Tom also served as the Minister’s Special Representative for the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs to conduct exploratory discussions on the Gottfriedson class action 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 being Aboriginal Law, 6th Ed. His published works on Aboriginal law have been cited with approval by Canadian courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal. His new book, co-authored with Grace Wu titled Canada & the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, was published in November 2025. Tom is a member of the law societies of Alberta, British Columbia, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Yukon.