Denis Blanchette

Denis Blanchette is a partner in Gowling WLG's Montréal office, practising in public law, with a focus on Indigenous law, governance and the administration of justice.

Denis works primarily with the Crees of Eeyou Istchee in Northern Quebec on the implementation of various aspects of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (1975) and related agreements. These include the Cree-Canada New Relationship Agreement (2008) and the Agreement on Cree Nation Governance between the Crees and Canada (2017), as well as the Eeyou Marine Region Land Claims Agreement (2010). Denis advises on various initiatives concerning federal and provincial legislative reforms, government relations affecting Indigenous peoples and related government policy. Denis works closely with the Cree Nation Government Department of Justice and Correctional Services on various initiatives related to the administration of justice for the Crees of Eeyou Istchee.

Denis is recognized as a leading practitioner in Indigenous law in Best Lawyers in Canada 2020, and in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory since 2014.

Before joining Gowling WLG, Denis was a law clerk to Justice Peter Cory at the Supreme Court of Canada. He was also involved with international organizations in Africa and Latin America where he lived for many years. He participated in the implementation and management of various projects involving institutional reforms, the justice system and human rights. Through these projects, Denis worked in close collaboration with local and regional non-governmental organisations, the Inter-American Institute for Human Rights and the United Nations Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders. He also took part in several humanitarian missions in Liberia, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Djibouti.

Denis practises law in English and French and is fluent in Spanish.