About Graham S. Ragan

Graham S. Ragan is an Ottawa partner at Gowling WLG with a public law practice built around two main fields: Indigenous law and procurement. Graham acts for Indigenous clients in communities from coast to coast, and also for businesses that want to work with those communities. Alongside that, there's regular work in administrative and regulatory law, appeals and government relations.

Appellate work is a big part of the picture. Graham heads the firm's Supreme Court of Canada Services Group, which means drafting leave applications, arguing appeals and motions at the country's top court, and helping other lawyers with the court's rules and procedure. Graham is one of the authors of Supreme Court of Canada Practice, the Thomson Reuters text, and its 2026-2027 edition credits Graham together with co-authors Matthew Estabrooks, Catherine Ouellet and Léa Desjardins.

Called to the Ontario bar in 2004, Graham studied law at Queen's University after an undergraduate degree at the University of Calgary. Graham's appearances range widely, taking in the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Courts, the Tax Court and the Alberta Court of King's Bench, plus tribunals such as the Canadian International Trade Tribunal and the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board.

Best Lawyers has recognized Graham since 2023, and Chambers Canada ranks Graham in Band 3 for public procurement nationwide. On procurement files, Graham's aim is advice that's practical and efficient, shaped around the business realities each client faces.

Practice areas

Indigenous law

Graham's advice reaches issues such as treaty rights, land claims, self-government and band governance, along with taxation and economic development. Graham has acted for Chief Jim Boucher in a First Nation election appeal, Fitzpatrick v. Boucher, at the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal, and has served as legal counsel to Deline First Nation on self-government.

Procurement and bid disputes

Graham guides both public and private sector clients through a procurement from start to finish, and has helped design and run competitive solicitations. When a bid is challenged, Graham has represented clients in protests and the litigation that follows, at the Canadian International Trade Tribunal and in federal and provincial courts.

Tribunals, judicial review and appeals

Graham's tribunal appearances include the Ontario Licence Appeal Tribunal, the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada and the National Energy Board, and many judicial reviews and appeals have taken Graham to the Federal Courts and to courts in Ontario and Alberta. On the pharmaceutical side, Graham was co-counsel for Hoechst Marion Roussel Canada Inc. at a Patented Medicine Prices Review Board hearing about Nicoderm, and for Rx&D as an intervener in a Federal Court of Appeal case on data protection regulations.

Government affairs

Through the firm's Government Affairs Group, Graham helps clients with public policy and regulatory questions, including how to comply with federal and provincial lobbying rules and how to handle access-to-information requests.

Education & credentials

  • BA, University of Calgary (1998)
  • LLB, Queen's University (2003)
  • Called to the Ontario bar (2004)

Notable cases

  • Reference re An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, 2024 SCC 5

    Graham was among counsel for the interveners Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Nunatsiavut Government and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated. The Court held that the federal Act as a whole is constitutionally valid.

  • Dubé v. Canada, 2011 SCC 39

    Graham and Maxime Faille appeared for the intervener the Assembly of First Nations in a case on whether a status Indian's interest income was tax exempt as personal property situated on a reserve. The majority allowed the appeal, with two judges dissenting.

Decisions where Graham S. Ragan appeared as counsel, from public court records. Past cases don't predict future results.

Awards & recognition

Publications & speaking

  • Supreme Court of Canada Practice (2026-2027 Edition), Thomson Reuters
  • The Duty to Consult: Recent Developments, Investing in Aboriginal Canada, Commons Institute (Ottawa) (2013)
  • The CITT: Timing, Filing and Trends, 9th Advanced Guide to Public Procurement, Canadian Institute (Ottawa) (2012)
  • Land Tenure Reform, Aboriginal Lands and Natural Resources, Insight Information (Ottawa) (2012)
  • Aboriginal Rights: A Legal Update, Canadian Aboriginal Law, Pacific Business and Law Institute (Ottawa) (2011)
  • Patented Medicine Prices Review Board Updates and Developments, 4th Annual Drug Pricing & Reimbursement in Canada, Canadian Institute (Toronto) (2010)

Memberships & affiliations

Is this you?

Fix or remove this listing, or add a free listing badge

Something wrong with this listing? Tell us and we’ll hide it right away while we review your request, then correct it or take it down.

Correct this listing Request removal

Add your free listing badge

Add the free LawOnline listing badge to your website. It tells visitors you’re listed in an independent Canadian lawyer directory and links back to this profile. Being listed isn’t a certification or an endorsement, and the badge doesn’t mean we’ve checked your credentials.

LawOnline.ca Canadian Lawyer Directory listing badge

This listing was generated by AI from public sources in October 2026. It may contain errors, and we can’t guarantee it’s accurate or complete. Before you rely on anything here, verify it on their firm’s website. Confirm Graham S. Ragan’s licence and standing in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗

How this data is compiled and checked · Correct or remove this listing

Call now Visit website