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Mr. Blanchette practises in constitutional and administrative law, with a focus on aboriginal law and governance.
He works on the implementation of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement and he is involved in the negotiation and implementation of a number of administrative and financing agreements. He has participated in the negotiation of the outstanding Cree claim in the James Bay and the Hudson Bay and he is actively involved in the implementation of the Cree Offshore Land Claims Agreement. He is also involved in the current negotiation of the Cree Nation Government Agreement. Other involvements include legislative amendment initiatives, government relations, procurement and government policy.
Before joining Gowlings in 2005, he was involved with international organizations in Africa and Latin America where he lived for many years. Mr. Blanchette participated directly in the implementation and management of several projects involving democratic development and institutional reform, particularly of the administrative justice system. This involved addressing many regional and international issues as well as fundamental rights and liberties. Through these projects, Mr. Blanchette worked in close collaboration with organizations such as the Inter-American Institute for Human Rights (IIDH) and the United Nations Latin-American Institute for the Prevention of Crime (ILANUD). He has also taken part in the management of humanitarian relief missions in Liberia, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Djibouti with the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization Médecins sans frontières.
Mr. Blanchette obtained his law degree summa cum laude from the University of Ottawa in 1998. He finished first in his class and was awarded the gold medal from the Law faculty as well as many other awards, notably from the Québec Bar and the French embassy. In 1998-1999, he was a law clerk to Justice Peter Cory at the Supreme Court of Canada. Admitted to Harvard Law School of Graduate Studies in 2001 (with a Fulbright Scholarship), he pursued his studies in constitutional law with a scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
Mr. Blanchette practises law in English and French as well as being fluent in Spanish.
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