Claire advises Indigenous governments and individuals on a variety of legal issues. She has particular expertise in fisheries, water rights and governance, legal interests in reserve land and land management, Indigenous membership or citizenship, and Indian registration (Indian status). She also advises First Nations on these issues in modern treaty negotiations.

Claire pursues justice for her clients at courts and tribunals in specific claims, judicial review, trial and appeal proceedings on matters of Aboriginal and treaty rights, consultation and accommodation, jurisdiction, Charter rights, breach of fiduciary duty, and disputes under the Indian Act. She has appeared at the Specific Claims Tribunal, British Columbia Supreme Court, British Columbia Court of Appeal, Alberta Court of King’s Bench, Alberta Court of Appeal, Saskatchewan Court of King’s Bench, Saskatchewan Court of Appeal, Federal Court and Supreme Court of Canada. Claire is experienced intervener counsel, having appeared on behalf of interveners at the Supreme Court of Canada four times, and twice at other appellate courts.

Prior to joining JFK, Claire was a judicial law clerk at the Ontario Court of Appeal where she worked on a wide range of criminal and civil law issues for Justices Watt, MacFarland, Juriansz and Strathy. Claire had the honour of assisting Justice Harry LaForme of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the first Indigenous person appointed to an appellate court in Canada, with a paper on the development of Aboriginal rights under section 35 of the Constitution.

Outside of her work Claire enjoys the beautiful outdoors of BC by running, hiking, camping, skiing and playing soccer with a great team of other women over 30 just waiting for their knees to give out. Claire is a former university athlete and acted as Chair of the University of Victoria Vikes Women’s Rowing Alumni Chapter to support the next generations of student athletes. She is also a past Chair of the Aboriginal Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association (2021-2022) and former Chair of the Aboriginal Law – Vancouver Island Subsection (2016-2018).

 Practice Focus:

• Aboriginal and treaty rights litigation
• Specific claims
• Intervener representation at the Supreme Court of Canada and other appellate courts
• Indian registration, band membership Indigenous citizenship
• Property disputes on reserve
• Aboriginal and treaty fishing rights
• Water rights and governance
• Modern treaty negotiation and litigation

Qualifications:

• Called to the Alberta Bar, 2018
• Called to the British Columbia Bar, 2013
• Called to the Ontario Bar, 2013
• University of Victoria, J.D., 2012
• Simon Fraser University, B.A., 2008

Selected Publications and Presentations

• Claire Truesdale, “Reference re An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families – Overview and Implications” (delivered at the Pacific Business and Law Institute Conference: Developments in Aboriginal and Indigenous Law 2024, 22 October 2024)
• Claire Truesdale, “Reference re An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families – Overview and Implications” (delivered to the Aboriginal Law – Vancouver Island Section of the Canadian Bar Association, 24 May 2024)
• Claire Truesdale, “COVID 19 and Indigenous Communities: Impacts on Indigenous Employers and Employment Issues, Courts and Consultation” (delivered at the Pacific Business and Law Institute Conference: COVID 19 and Indigenous Communities, 26 May 2020)
• Claire Truesdale, “Helping Indigenous Clients Apply for Registration under the Indian Act” (delivered at the Legal Services Society Provincial Advocates Conference, 9 October 2019)
• Claire Truesdale and Karey Brooks, A Guide to Aboriginal Harvesting Rights (Vancouver: Legal Services Society, 2017)
• Claire Truesdale, “Gender Discrimination and Indian Status” (delivered to the Aboriginal Law – Vancouver Island Section of the Canadian Bar Association, 25 November 2016)
• Claire Truesdale, “Excluded by the Accidents of History – Implications of the Daniels Decision for Non-Status Indian People and Communities” (delivered at the Pacific Business and Law Institute Conference: The Daniels Case at the Supreme Court of Canada: Recognition of Métis and Non-Status Aboriginal Peoples, 23 June 2016)
• Justice Harry S. LaForme with the assistance of Claire Truesdale, “Section 25 of the Charter; Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982: Aboriginal and Treaty Rights – 30 Years of Recognition and Affirmation” in Errol Mendes & Stéphane Beaulac, eds., Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Markham: LexisNexis Canada Inc., 2013)

Claire Truesdale provides legal services through Claire Truesdale Law Corporation