Elsy Gagné

Elsy has been practicing law since 1999. After earning a Ph.D. at the University of Calgary, a M.sc. at the University of Montreal and an LL.B. at the University of Ottawa in the French Common Law program, Elsy completed her LL.M.

Elsy practised in the area of civil litigation with a focus on complex commercial and contractual disputes, employment law, disciplinary proceedings, human rights, and linguistic rights. After several years of private practice in various jurisdictions, Elsy accepted a position as in-house counsel for Alberta’s largest regulatory electricity transmission company and then became General Counsel for a private equity firm. Elsy’s knowledge and experience in law have been used to benefit her clients in various industries and sectors. Elsy appeared in all levels of Alberta and Manitoba courts, the Federal Court and the Supreme Court in British Columbia.

Elsy has published several articles and was formerly a university lecturer in the areas of social work, sociology, legal studies and law. Elsy has been active in a number of organizations addressing issues such as violence against women, and human trafficking. Elsy has served as a member and chair of the Board of the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, member of Board of Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba and member of the Board of Mental Health Association of Manitoba. She is currently a member of the Board of the Association for Women Lawyers, a member of the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Alberta and a member of the Canadian Bar Association – Business Law (South). She is also a member of the Law Society’s Lawyer Referral.

Elsy has been politically appointed by the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce to serve on the Federal Board of Referees – Board of the Employment Insurance, and by the Alberta Lieutenant Governor in Council as a public member on the Board of the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta. She has been nominated as a chair of the statutory appeal process of the Board of the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta.

Elsy is fluent in both English and French. Elsy has a keen interest for issues relating to women’s rights and constitutional minority language rights ever since she moved to Calgary in 1989.

Elsy Gagné has over 24 years of litigation experience in Manitoba, British Columbia, and Alberta.  She focuses her practice on estate litigation, breach of contract in construction, commercial and corporate settings, and employment law.  She has many years of experience working with large companies and lenders, and now uses her skills to advocate for linguistic rights, women’s rights and individuals making claims for human rights issues.  She has conducted trials at the Court of King’s Bench in Alberta and Manitoba, Court of Justice in Alberta, and the Supreme Court of British Columbia.  She has also appeared before the Alberta and Manitoba Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada as intervenor.  In her litigation practice, she truly cares about her clients and has their best interest at heart.

Before and during her practice, Elsy Gagné has been teaching numerous university classes at the University of Montreal, the University of Calgary, the University of Manitoba, and the University of the College of Saint-Boniface for many years as a sociologist, lawyer, and lecturer.