Acting Legal Director, Indigenous Justice Division, Ministry of the Attorney General
PhD Aboriginal Law, Honours Bachelor of Arts in English
2021-2022 Advancing Women Stream

Kirsten Manley-Casimir currently works as Legal Counsel with the Indigenous Justice Division, Ministry of the Attorney General, Ontario. In her dissertation, Kirsten advocates for a relational approach to the duty to consult and accommodate Aboriginal peoples under section 35 of the Constitution Act. She articulates four principles as the basis of a relational approach - respect, recognition, reciprocity and reconciliation.  

As part of her work, Kirsten has worked within a team to develop an experiential, transformative curriculum focused on the history and contemporary impacts of assimilative government laws and policies that have targeted Indigenous Peoples for the purpose of cultural genocide. The curriculum takes an anti-colonial and anti-racist approach and encourages all government lawyers and workers to approach their work through a lens of reconciliation. This curriculum is informed by and co-facilitated alongside Indigenous Elders and is based on significant Indigenous community input into the design and delivery of the curriculum and is responsive to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action #57.  

Kirsten has taught at Osgoode Hall Law School and Queen’s University as an adjunct professor in courses focused on Aboriginal Law and Indigenous Legal Systems. Previously, Kirsten worked as a Research Lawyer with the Law Commission of Ontario on law reform projects focused on disability law, elder law and the rights of precarious workers. She also worked as Counsel at the Law Foundation of Ontario. Kirsten also has several articles published in peer-reviewed journals and runs a self-development and personal growth website at www.possibilify.com.