Faye Sonier is the founder and President of The Acacia Group.

Faye practices in the areas of charity, corporate and employment law. She also supports other Acacia lawyers in their constitutional rights advocacy work.

Church and Charity Law
Faye has extensive management, leadership, and legal experience in the non-profit and charitable sector.

Prior to founding The Acacia Group, she served as Legal Counsel to The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the national association of evangelical Christians. Following that, she was the Executive Director and General Counsel for Canadian Physicians for Life, the national association of physicians committed to the traditional and life-affirming Hippocratic Oath.

In everything from incorporating new non-profits to guiding others through the CRA charitable status application process, reviewing corporate documents, helping to rebuild corporate minute books, and updating policies to reflect the changes in our legal and cultural environments, Faye partners with clients so they can meet their goals.

She has a special interest in assisting faith-based campgrounds and private schools with their legal matters. In 2024, Faye completed The Osgoode Certificate in Education Law, with a special focus on the law as it pertains to private schools. 

Employment Law
Faye Sonier supports her clients with their employment law needs, particularly small to midsize charities and non-for-profit organizations. With a deep understanding of the unique challenges these organizations face, Faye provides tailored legal guidance to ensure compliance and foster healthy workplace environments. She has completed The Osgoode Certificate in Human Resources Law for HR Professionals, giving her specialized knowledge and practical skills that are especially beneficial to small and mid-sized charities, schools, and churches—most of which lack dedicated HR departments. Faye’s guidance helps these organizations navigate complex employment issues, allowing them to focus on their core missions with confidence.

Leading Abuse Response 
Faye leads The Acacia Group’s abuse response practice, overseeing a holistic, trauma-informed legal approach for churches and faith-based institutions. Drawing on her deep experience in charity, corporate, and employment law, Faye ensures that every response is carefully aligned with legal obligations, internal governance, and effective communication strategy.

She collaborates closely with the firm’s legal and strategic communications teams, coordinating every step – from mandatory reporting to civil authorities, to managing insurance matters, workplace safety concerns, internal investigations, and external messaging.

Faye’s leadership is supported by her firm commitment to maintaining current expertise in abuse response and trauma-informed practice. She regularly completes continuing professional development in survivor care, trauma-informed legal response, and institutional abuse management, ensuring her team’s guidance reflects evolving best practices and ethical standards.

Her guiding principle in this work is that organizations facing allegations or confirmed instances of abuse require legal support grounded in both technical competence and sensitivity. Faye’s leadership ensures that Acacia’s response services meet this exacting standard.

Religious Freedom and Conscience Rights Advocacy Work
For over a decade, Faye practiced constitutional and human rights law, with a special focus on freedom of religion and conscience.

She is passionate about advocating for individuals’ rights to freely assemble, practice their faith, and express their beliefs.

She has participated in interventions before appellate courts and the Supreme Court of Canada, engaged with parliamentarians and national groups on public policy matters, and made submissions to government.

She has written extensively on these topics and has been published by various outlets, including the National Post, Comment Magazine, Christian Legal Journal, Faith Today and Church and Faith Trends.

Faye has spoken on these issues on CTV News, Sun News, CFRB NewsTalk 1010 AM, CJOB 680 AM, 100 Huntley Street, and other media programs as well as having her commentary featured in news outlets such as The Globe and Mail, The Montreal Gazette, The Vancouver Sun, The Winnipeg Free Press, The Regina Leader-Post, and The Christian Post.