François Dandonneau

François Dandonneau is a partner in the firm’s Montréal office. His practice has been centred on Aboriginal law for over fifteen years with a specific focus on matters dealing with mining and natural resources, procurement, taxation and self-governance.

Throughout his career, François has acted and played a major role in important litigation matters, notably constitutional cases, before all levels of the courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

François works with various Cree entities on a wide range of matters. In recent years, he negotiated, on behalf of the Crees, significant impact and benefit agreements with mining companies for major projects in Cree territory. His practice also addresses public law issues for Cree entities, such as the Cree Nation Government and the Cree School Board.

Before joining Gowlings, he worked for ten years with the legal department of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, where he was involved in drafting legislation and in important negotiations regarding agreements and contracts with different levels of government and Crown corporations. These negotiations included commercial leases on reserve and relations with Hydro-Québec.

François also heads the recruitment committee of the firm’s Montréal office.

He practices in English and French.