Jesse McCormick works at the intersection of First Nations rights, environmental protection and major project development. He serves as Senior Counsel at Pape Salter Teillet LLP, a leading First Nations focused law firm, and as a Senior Advisor at Mokwateh, an Indigenous-led consulting firm specializing in reconciliation, governance, and partnerships.
Jesse has previously served as Senior VP, Research, Innovation and Legal Affairs for the First Nations Major Projects Coalition, Director of Policy and Indigenous Relations for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Director of Rights Implementation for the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. In those roles, he helped to support First Nations participation in major project development and contributed to the establishment of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, the reform of Canada鈥檚 environmental assessment processes and the passage of federal legislation to implement the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Jesse has also advanced First Nations rights and interests internationally as a Senior Indigenous Fellow at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and he has served as a law clerk at the Federal Court of Canada. He holds degrees from the University of Guelph, the University of Ottawa and the Harvard Law School. Jesse is a member of the National Board of the Liberal Party of Canada and previously served as Chair of the Indigenous Relations Council of the Canadian Nuclear Association.
As a proud citizen of Canada, the Anishinabek Nation and the Oneida Nation (Wolf Clan), Jesse is committed to the achievement of reconciliation through the implementation of rights, treaties and responsibilities.
Course offered:
Case study:聽Federal Impact Assessment: Rewriting the Rules for Major Projects in Canada
