Fred Martin has long supported the fight for equal rights. In the 1960s, he volunteered with the civil rights movement in the United States to increase voter registration for African Americans. He then served as legal counsel for the Métis Settlements General Council, where he helped to develop an innovative process to provide Métis Settlements communities with land ownership, self-governance and cultural oversight of their affairs. In addition, he worked with the Government of Nunavut to oversee the management and regulation of the territory’s energy supply.