FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2003
OTTAWA – The new President of the Canadian Bar Association says that members must remain vigilant if the independence of the legal profession is to be preserved.
Bill Johnson of Regina, who receives the chain of office at the CBA Canadian Legal Conference in Montreal on Aug. 19, says, “As lawyers, we must be vigilant in our defence of our independence, not only for ourselves, but for the citizens of our nation.
“Independence of the bar is embedded in our Association’s constitution. Without a healthy bar, however, all talk of independence and the rule of law is empty. We must provide our members with the best tools available to help them be the best lawyers possible. If we ensure excellence, we ensure the independence of the profession.”
The past year has seen the Canadian Bar Association influence a number of important pieces of government legislation that may have otherwise had the effect of limiting professional independence for lawyers and changing the dynamics of the solicitor-client relationship. It is this high degree of vigilance, says Mr. Johnson, that will help to preserve the fundamental principles of the rule of law in Canada.
“We monitor government activity, and if it appears to interfere with the Bar’s independence or fundamental principles (as in the case of legislation that operates to undermine the solicitor-client relationship), then we act, as we’ve done throughout the past year,” says Mr. Johnson. “These days, it’s too easy for state actors to find scapegoats and to curtail the independence of professionals who defend individual rights. The CBA makes sure that doesn’t happen.”
Mr. Johnson received his LL.B from the University of Saskatchewan in 1973 and attended Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship, where he received his LL.M. in 1975. He was called to the Bar of Saskatchewan in 1978 and joined the firm now known as Gerrand Rath Johnson, where today he practises as a partner and civil litigator specializing in commercial matters. Mr. Johnson currently serves on the board of directors of the Royal Military College and is a member of the Canadian Journalism Foundation. He is also the Secretary for the Saskatchewan Rhodes Scholarship Trust and a former member of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Saskatchewan.
Bill Johnson’s involvement with the CBA began in 1977. He became part of the Association’s Young Lawyers’ Section a year later. He has been a member of the Saskatchewan Branch Council since 1981, and has served on the National Continuing Legal Education Committee, the Special Committee on Judicial Independence, the National Resolutions Committee, the Legislation and Law Reform Committee, and the Law for the Future Fund.
Bill Johnson receives the CBA Presidential chain of office from outgoing President Simon Potter at the Young Lawyers Luncheon and Closing Ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 19 in the Palais des congrès, room 517B during the Canadian Legal Conference in Montreal, Aug. 16-19. The event is open to accredited media who have registered with the CBA Media Centre.
The Canadian Bar Association is dedicated to improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 38,000 lawyers, notaries, law teachers, and law students from across Canada are members.
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CONTACT: Hannah Bernstein, Aug.16-19, CBA Media Centre, Palais des congrès, Room 523B, (514) 871-5823.
