Christina Gray
Associate
She/Her/Hers- cgray@jfklaw.ca
- P 604-687-0549 ext 301
- Legal Administrative Assistant Nicole MacDonald 250-405-3467 nmacdonald@jfklaw.ca
- 260 - 200 Granville Street Vancouver, BC V6C 1S4
Christina Gray is a passionate lawyer and advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples. She is Ts’msyen from Lax Kw’alaams, BC and Dene from the Northwest Territories. She currently works with JFK’s Victoria and Vancouver offices remotely from Prince Rupert
Christina’s legal expertise is in complex negotiations, administrative law, constitutional law, and nation-building. She has represented clients in various courts and tribunals, including the Federal Court, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, and the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. As a Research Fellow at the Yellowhead Institute, she has published reports on Indigenous Place Names, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and treaty interpretation.
Christina holds a Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia, and her LLM thesis focuses on Ts’msyen law and governance from the University of Victoria. She is called to the bar in Ontario, British Columbia, and the Yukon.
Apart from her legal work, Christina is passionate about spending time on the land and giving back to her community. She volunteers at the Aboriginal Mentorship Program in School District 52, where she shares her experiences as a lawyer with high school students. Christina has also volunteered her time as a board member for organizations such as Coast Funds and the Indigenous Bar Association.
In her personal time, Christina enjoys being with her family, learning the Sm’alygax language, participating in Ts’msyen cultural activities, and being on the land and waters.
Practice Areas:
- Advocacy
- Inherent rights and Indigenous Laws
- Litigation
- Negotiation
- Indigenous governance
Education and Professional Affiliations
University of Victoria, Masters of Law Candidate, on-going
University of British Columbia, Juris Doctor, 2013
University of British Columbia, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Art History), 2008
Member, Law Society of Yukon, 2022
Member, Law Society of British Columbia, 2016
Member, Law Society of Ontario, 2015
Member, Indigenous Bar Association of Canada
Member, Advocates Society
Member, Canadian Bar Association
Research Fellow, Yellowhead Institute
Board of Director, Coast Funds
Member, Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) Law Program Committee
Selected Publications and Presentations
Christina Gray and Jessica Asch, The Transitional Space to Learn Indigenous Law (Canadian Bar Association National Magazine, 8 April 2021)
In conversation with former Yukon Premier Tony Penikett, “Deconstructing Artificial Borders” (Delivered virtually at the NW Collaborative Futures Conference: Deconstructing Artificial Borders,” 21 October 2021)
“Rights-Based Social Policy – Does Our Post-Pandemic Future Need It?” (Delivered virtually at Democracy XChange, 15 October 2020)
Christina Gray, “Indigenous Law and ADR” (Victoria, BC, delivered at the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Canada, 22, November, 2019)
Christina Gray and Daniel Rück, “Reclaiming Indigenous Place Names” (Yellowhead Institute, 8 October 2019)
Christina Gray, “Being in Good Relations” (Upstage Magazine, 24 January, 2019)
Christina Gray, “Protecting Traditional Knowledge in Canada and Globally” (New York, US, delivered at the United Nations’ Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues side-event at United Nations Headquarters, April 2018)
Christina Gray, “A place for Indigenous peoples on Canada’s top bench” (Policy Options, 21 February 2018)
Christina Gray, “Indigenous Laws & Human Rights” (Richmond, BC, delivered at the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia’s Indigenous Laws Conference, 25 October 2018)
Christina Gray, “Christina Gray: Why I wore regalia to my call to the bar” (Rabble.ca, 25 June 2015)
Highlights
Researching and preparing materials to assist with test case litigation at the Ontario Court of Justice, Superior Court, Court of Appeal, Federal Court, and Supreme Court of Canada.
Representing clients throughout Ontario in many types of human rights matters
Publications
On April 16, 2024, Canada released the 2024 federal budget. The theme of Budget 2024 is “Fairness for Every
Today the Supreme Court of Canada released its unanimous decision in Shot Both Sides v. Canada, 2024 SCC 12, which deals