David Khan

Profile

David has wide-ranging experience representing First Nations governments in complex land and breach of Treaty claims before all levels of courts across Canada, including at the Supreme Court of Canada; the Federal Court and Court of Appeal; the Courts of Appeal of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories; the Courts of King’s Bench of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba; the Supreme Courts of BC and the NWT; and the Provincial Court of Alberta; as well as before regulatory and administrative tribunals and in private arbitrations.

The relationships he’s developed have included representing and advising First Nations Chiefs and Councils and administration on diverse issues including employment, membership, and contested elections. David has drafted taxation, property assessment and custom election laws, and intervened in regulatory and permitting processes for resource development projects.

He has extensive knowledge of First Nations’ legal, business, administrative and cultural environments and broad political and government relations experience – having served as the Leader of the Alberta Liberal Party from 2017 to 2020. He has successfully settled breach of Treaty economic benefits claims and advanced other claims in the Specific Claims Tribunal through relationship-building and negotiation with federal Ministers and their officials. He has been a trusted commentator and regular pundit on national, regional and local TV and radio news and politics programs for many years.

David also has training and experience in complex corporate-commercial and environmental litigation matters. He is a called to the Bar in BC, Alberta, Manitoba and the NWT.

His passion is advancing the interests of First Nations and their citizens through experienced and sophisticated legal advice and representation – assisting them to achieve their goals. He wishes to be a part of their future success.

In his spare time, David enjoys nature and loves to escape to the mountains for hiking, cycling, alpine and Nordic skiing and kayaking. He recently cycled from Toronto to Montréal to raise money for charity. He can also be found in the kitchen making fresh pasta and baking sourdough loaves. He has been a volunteer board member of organizations such as Results Canada (which lobbies governments, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other institutions to end extreme poverty, improve health outcomes, and increase access to education and economic opportunity for all) and the Calgary International Film Festival. He speaks fluent French.