Ottawa, ON - Respected lawyer, negotiator, strategic advisor and author W. Thomas Molloy, O.C., S.O.M., is the winner of the Canadian Bar Association’s 2018 Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to law and legal scholarship in Canada.
“Long before reconciliation became part of our Canadian discourse, Mr. Molloy made it a part of our Canadian discourse,” says Ray Adlington, CBA Vice-President and Chair of the CBA Governance and Equality Committee. “His ability to build trust and confidence around the table has led to negotiations that have helped reshape this country from coast to coast to coast.”
Mr. Molloy’s legal career began in 1965, when he was called to the Bar in Saskatchewan. While he started in general practice, he quickly found his calling in the area of indigenous law.
For more than forty years Mr. Molloy has been involved in some of the most important land-claims agreements in Canadian history. He was the chief negotiator for the Government of Canada in the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement that led to the creation of Nunavut in 1999; he negotiated the Inuit of Northern Québec’s offshore claim in Nunavut and Newfoundland Labrador; and in 2000 he closed the historic Nisga’a Treaty settlement that recognized the right of the Nisga’a people to live where they had always lived, and to own and control the land they live on.
In addition to his distinguished legal career, Mr. Molloy served as Chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan from 2001 to 2007, authored an award-winning book called The World Is Our Witness: The Historic Journey of The Nisga’a Into Canada, which was published in 2000, and he was recently sworn in as Saskatchewan’s 22nd lieutenant-governor.
Highlights of his numerous awards include an appointment to the Order of Canada in 1996, the 2012 Saskatchewan Order of Merit, and The Canadian Bar Association Saskatchewan Branch Distinguished Service Award in 2001.
The Hnatyshyn Award was established in 1993 by then-Governor General of Canada Ramon Hnatyshyn, and is presented annually to recognize outstanding contributions to the law or legal scholarship in Canada.
“I’m grateful to the Canadian Bar Association for honouring me with this prestigious award, which is even more special as I knew the Honourable Ramon Hnatyshyn and his family well. I’m humbled to be counted among the impressive past recipients. I wish to acknowledge the many individuals who have played a role in my success throughout the years,” said the Honourable W. Thomas Molloy.
As a result of current changes taking place within the CBA, our awards presentation cycle has been disrupted. Therefore the medallion will be presented to Mr. Molloy at the CBA President’s Dinner in February 2019. For information please contact Katya Hodge at katyah@cba.org
About the CBA
The CBA is dedicated to support for the rule of law, and improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 36,000 lawyers, notaries, law teachers and law students across Canada are members.