Karen Drake 
Assistant Professor | Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University
Thunder Bay, ON, CANADA
Karen Drake's teaching and research interests include Canadian law as it affects Indigenous peoples, Anishinaabe law, and Métis law.
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Biography
Karen Drake is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario. Her research interests include the intersection between liberalism and Aboriginal rights, the duty to consult and accommodate Aboriginal peoples in the context of resource extraction, Métis legal issues, and the relationship between law and ethics when conducting research with human participants. She teaches Aboriginal Legal Issues, Indigenous Legal Traditions, Property Law, and Legal Philosophy.
Prof. Drake is a Commissioner with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, a Commissioner with the Commission on Métis Rights and Self-Government,a member of the Board of Directors of the Indigenous Bar Association, and a member of the Thunder Bay Métis Council. She serves as Vice-Chair of Lakehead University’s Research Ethics Board, and as an alternate member of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s Research Ethics Board. She is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Lakehead Law Journal and was previously Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Indigenous Law Journal.
Prior to joining Lakehead University in July 2013, Prof. Drake practised with Erickson & Partners, focusing on Aboriginal legal issues, human rights, and labour and employment law. Prior to that, she articled with Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP. She completed a clerkship with the Ontario Court of Appeal, where she clerked for Justice Stephen Borins, Justice Susan Lang, Justice Harry LaForme, and Justice Gloria Epstein. She also served as a judicial law clerk to Justice Leonard Mandamin of the Federal Court.
Industry Expertise (4)
Education/Learning
Public Policy
Research
Legal Services
Areas of Expertise (8)
Canadian Law and Indigenous Peoples
Anishinaabe Law
Métis law
Aboriginal Legal Issues
Indigenous Legal Traditions
Property Law
Legal Philosophy
Indigenous Peoples and Canadian Law
Education (4)
University of Toronto: Master of Laws
University of Toronto: Juris Doctor
Queen's University: Master of Arts (Philosophy)
Lakehead University: Honours, Bachelor of Arts
Affiliations (10)
- Ontario Human Rights Commission : Commissioner
- Commission on Métis Rights and Self-Government : Commissioner
- Indigenous Bar Association : Member-at-Large of the Board of Directors
- Thunder Bay Métis Council : Member at Large
- Lakehead University's Research Ethics Board : Vice-Chair and Member Knowledgeable in Law
- Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s Research Ethics Board : Alternate Member Knowledgeable in Law
- Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Mining & Exploration at Lakehead University : Researcher
- National Observatory on Language Rights within the Public Law Research Centre at the Université de Montréal : Special Correspondent
- Law Society of Upper Canada : Barrister and Solicitor
- Thunder Bay Law Association : Member
Links (3)
Media Appearances (5)
Aboriginal Advocates: How Karen Drake Is Educating The Next Generation Of Law Professionals
TalentEgg
2016-02-08
As an Associate Professor of Law at Lakehead University, Karen Drake says she’s currently living out the highlight of her career.
Over the years, she has practiced law in a variety of settings. However, Karen’s cultural identity has always been a driving force behind her success. As a Métis woman, she has been actively involved with the Aboriginal community for years.
We had the opportunity to connect with Karen to learn more about her career journey and how her culture has positively impacted her work...
Truth and Reconciliation Makeover: Law Schools Ponder How to Teach Aboriginal Law
Law Times
2016-01-11
Interviewed about how best to fulfill the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #28.
Aboriginal lawyers hopeful about the future of indigenous law in Canada
CBC The Current
2016-01-06
Today, we're asking whether there is in fact cause for optimism. And we convened three aboriginal lawyers, who are themselves at the forefront of pushing for change...
Providing High-Quality Service to Indigenous Clients
LawPro Magazine
2016-01-01
Learning that a client is an aboriginal person is just a basic first step. There are dozens of distinct Indigenous cultures in Canada, and within cultures, individuals have many different ways of life. A downtown-Toronto resident of Inuit heritage may have very little in common with a First Nations person who identifies as Haudenosaunee and lives on-reserve, or with a woman with one Cree parent who lives off-reserve and farms land outside Sioux Lookout. Understanding a client as an individual and not just as an Indigenous person requires avoiding what Karen Drake, assistant Professor in the Faculty of Law at Lakehead University calls “pan-aboriginalism”: the tendency to assume that Indigenous cultures are sufficiently alike that knowledge of one culture can readily be applied to another culture...
Law schools: Aboriginal law crucial
UNews.ca
2015-01-23
The panel consisted of Karen Drake, a Métis law professor at Lakehead University, Naiomi Metallic, a member of the Dalhousie board of governors and Halifax lawyer specializing in aboriginal law, and Sherry Pictou, a Mi’kmaq activist and PhD student at Dal...
Event Appearances (5)
Aboriginal Rights
(Presentation for the Horizontal Aboriginal Relations Training (HART) Program hosted by Ontario’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Ministry of Transportation Thunder Bay, ON.
2016-03-22
Why Do Aboriginal Rights Exist?
Presentation for The Speakers' School, Waverly Library Thunder Bay, ON.
2015-11-30
Protecting Confidentiality: To the Limits of the Law and Beyond?
Presentation to the Canadian Association of Research Administrators Webinar
2015-09-03
How Treaties Impact Our Community
Panelist, Kenora District Municipal Association’s 2015 Annual General Meeting Ignace, ON.
2015-02-06
Should Aboriginal Peoples have Special Legal Rights?
Lecture for the In Conversation Lecture Series at Waverly Library Thunder Bay, ON.
2014-10-25
Research Grants (2)
Community and College Social Innovation Fund College
SSHRC - Partnership Development Grants $112,936
2016 - 2018
“Negahneewin leading the way: supporting community development through Indigenous women's leadership”
Co-investigator
Connection Grant
SSHRC $13,966
2016
To host a workshop entitled “Redefining Relationships: Indigenous Peoples and Canada” in conjunction with the Indigenous Bar Association’s 2016 annual conference
Co-investigator
Articles (5)
Forthcoming
Forthcoming
Forthcoming
2015
2013
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