User:Mr Serjeant Buzfuz/List of Canadian Bar Association Presidents

Canadian Bar Association Presidents

The President of the Canadian Bar Association is the head of a professional association of Canadian lawyers. The president is elected by those members of the CBA who hold leadership positions, nationally, provincially, and through the sections and conferences of the CBA. The president serves a one-year term.

The current President of the CBA (2015-16) is Janet Fuhrer, a lawyer from the Ottawa firm of Ridout & Maybee LLP.

History of the Position

Since the creation of the Canadian Bar Association in 1914, there have been ## presidents. Many of the presidents have been leaders of the Bar and have held major public office. The first President, Sir James Aikins, was simultaneously President and Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba for much of his time in office. Two future Prime Ministers, three Supreme Court justices, two Lieutenant Governors, several Attorneys General, and a Senator have served as President. Other presidents have worked primarily in private practice, from large firms, medium firms, or small firms, even a sole practitioner. Several of the presidents have gone on to appointments to the Bench and one has been Canada's Ambassador to the United Nations. Others have been active in community service: one has been the chair of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and another has been president of a CFL team. Many have been appointed to the Order of Canada and similar provincial honours. The breadth of experience of the presidents is shown In the column, "Other Position Held", in the table below, which indicates the background and experience of each president. In some cases, they held the position prior to becoming president, in other cases afterwards, and in some cases, such as Supreme Court Justice Davis, held that position concurrently with being president.

Although the first president, Sir James Aikins, served for thirteen years, and some other presidents served two-year terms, the term of the office is now one year, as part of a four year succession of offices. To serve as president, an individual must be elected Second Vice-President, and serve for one year in that office. The Second Vice-President is not elected by the entire membership of the Association, but by individuals who hold offices within the Association, including members of the national executive, members of the executives of the provincial branches, and chairs of national committees and sections. The election is held over the internet in the spring of each year. The winner of the election is installed in office at the annual meeting of the Association, which is held in August of each year.

Following a year as Second Vice-President, the individual serves the next year as First Vice-President. The third year after election, the individual becomes President. After the year in office as President, the individual serves a further year as Past-President of the Association. The succession to each office occurs at the annual meeting.

By custom, the presidency rotates through five regions: the prairie provinces, Ontario, the Atlantic provinces, Quebec, and British Columbia.

List of Canadian Bar Association Presidents

No.	Term	Name	Location	Other Positions Held
1	1914-27	Sir James Aikins 1851 – 1929	Winnipeg	Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba 1916 - 1926
2	1927-28	John Edward Martin	Montreal	Justice of the Quebec Court of Appeal 1918-1922
3	1928-29	Wallace Nesbitt 1858 – 1930	Toronto	Puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada 1903 - 1905
4	1929-30	R.B. Bennett 1870 – 1947	Calgary	Prime Minister of Canada 1930 - 1935
5	1930-32	Louis St-Laurent 1882 – 1973	Quebec	Prime Minister of Canada 1948 - 1957
6	1932-34	Newton Rowell 1867 – 1941	Toronto	President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada 1917 - 1920 Canadian delegate to the League of Nations 1920 - 1921 Chief Justice of Ontario 1936 - 1938 Rowell–Sirois Commission 1937 - 1938
7	1934-35	Isaac Pitblado 1867 – 1964	Winnipeg	Private practice
8	1935-36	G.H. Montgomery	Montreal	Private practice: Montgomery, McMichael, Common & Howard Chancellor of Bishop's University 1942-1950
9	1936-37	Henry Hague Davis 1885 – 1944	Ottawa	Puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada 1935 - 1944
10	1937-38	John Wallace de Beque Farris 1878 – 1970	Vancouver	Attorney General of British Columbia and Minister of Labour 1917-1922 Senator 1937–1970
11	1938-39	Louis-Émery Beaulieu 1878 – 1962	Montreal	Bâtonnier du Barreau du Québec 1932–1934 Dean of the Université de Montréal Faculty of Law 1945–1955
12	1939-41	D’Alton Lally McCarthy 1870 – 1963	Toronto	Treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada 1939–1944
13	1941-42	James McGregor Stewart 1889 – 1955	Halifax	Private practice
14	1942-43	Gordon Harold Aikins 1887 – 1954	Winnipeg	Private Practice: Aikins, MacAulay & Thorvaldson
15	1943-44	Royal Maitland 1898 – 1946	Vancouver	Attorney General of British Columbia 1941-1946
16	1944-45	François-Philippe Brais 1894 – 1972	Montreal	Member of the Legislative Council of Quebec 1940-1968 Bâtonnier du Barreau du Québec 1949-1950
17	1945-46	Esten Kenneth Williams 1889 – 1970	Winnipeg	President of the Law Society of Manitoba 1941 - 1943 Chief Justice of the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench 1946 - 1962
18	1946-47	James Chalmers McRuer 1890 – 1985	Toronto	Justice of the Ontario Court of Appeal 1944-45 Chief Justice of the Ontario High Court 1945-1964
19	1947-48	John Thomas Hackett 1884 – 1956	Montreal	Member of Parliament 1930–1935, 1945–1949 Senator 1955-1956
20	1948-49	Stanley Harwood McCuaig 1891 – 1986	Edmonton	Private Practice: McCuaig Desrochers
21	1949-50	Arthur N. Carter	Saint John	Private Practice
22	1950-51	E. Gordon Gowling	Ottawa	Private Practice: Gowling and Henderson
23	1951-52	John Arthur Clark 1886 – 1976	Vancouver	Canadian Army (Seaforth Highlanders) 1914-1919 Member of Parliament 1921–1930
24	1952-53	André Taschereau 1897 – 1979	Quebec	Bâtonnier du Barreau du Québec 1943-44 Justice of the Quebec Court of Appeal 1955-1972
25	1953-54	John MacAulay 1895 – 1978	Winnipeg	Private Practice: Aikins, MacAulay & Thorvaldson Chairman of the International League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 1959-1965
26	1954-55	D. Park Jamieson 1903 – 1981	Sarnia, Ontario	Private Practice: Pardee, Gurd, Fuller and Taylor
27	1955-56	Paul P. Hutchinson	Montreal	Private Practice
28	1956-57	E.C. Leslie	Regina	Private Practice: MacPherson Leslie & Tyerman
29	1957-58	Arthur Kelly 1901 – 1986	Toronto	Justice of the Ontario Court of Appeal 1960-1975
30	1958-59	Walter Stewart Owen 1904 – 1981	Vancouver	Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia 1973–1978
31	1959-60	Renault St. Laurent	Quebec	Private practice
32	1960-61	Donald McInnes	Halifax	Private practice
33	1961-62	Stanley E. Fennell	Cornwall, Ontario	Private practice
34	1962-63	R.A. MacKimmie	Calgary	Private practice
35	1963-64	Oscar L. Lundell	Vancouver	Private practice: Lawson, Lundell, Lawson & McIntosh
36	1964-65	Hazen Hansard 1905 – 1985	Montreal	Private Practice: Montgomery, McMichael, Common & Howard; Cate, Ogilvy, Bishop, Cope, Porteous & Hansard
37	1965-66	J.T. Weir	Toronto	Private Practice
38	1966-67	Perreault Casgrain 1898 – 1981	Rimouski, Quebec	Private Practice
39	1967-68	A. Gordon Cooper	Halifax	President of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society 1956-57 Justice of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, Appeal Division
40	1968-69	J.J. Saucier	Calgary	Private Practice: Chambers, Saucier, Jones, Peacock, Black, Gain & Stratton
41	1969-70	Arthur Sydney Pattillo	Toronto	Private Practice: Blake Cassels & Graydon Chairman, Ontario Securities Commission 1974-1977
42	1970-71	A. Lorne Campbell 1920 – 2014	Winnipeg	Private Practice: Aikins, MacAulay & Thorvaldson President of the Law Society of Manitoba 1966 - 1967
43	1971-72	John Lauchlan Farris d. 1986	Vancouver	Private Practice: Farris, Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy Chief Justice of British Columbia 1973-1978
44	1972-73	Louis-Philippe de Grandpré 1917 – 2008	Montreal	Private Practice: Tansey, de Grandpré et de Grandpré Puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada 1974 - 1977
45	1973-74	Neil McKelvey 1925 – 2011	Saint John	Private Practice: Stewart McKelvey
46	1974-75	William Lorne Northmore Somerville 1921 - 2009	Toronto	Private Practice: Borden & Elliott
47	1975-76	Irwin Dorfman 1908 - 1993	Winnipeg	Private Practice: Thompson Dorfman Sweatman President of the Law Society of Manitoba 1971 - 1972
48	1976-77	A. Boyd Ferris d. 1989	Vancouver	Private Practice: Davis and Co.
49	1977-78	Jacques Viau 1919 - 2003	Montreal	Private Practice Bâtonnier du Barreau du Québec 1974-1975
50	1978-79	Thomas J. Walsh 1927 - 2016	Calgary	Private Practice: Walsh LLP
51	1979-80	Gordon Henderson 1912 - 1993	Ottawa	Private Practice: Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP
52	1980-81	William Cox 1921 - 2008	Halifax	President of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society 1971-1972 President of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada (1975-1976) Private Practice: Cox Downie
53	1981-82	Paul D.K. Fraser	Vancouver	British Columbia Conflict Commissioner 2008-present President of Commonwealth Lawyers Association President of International Commission of Jurists (Canadian Section) Private Practice: Fraser Milner Casgrain
54	1982-83	Yves Fortier born 1935	Montreal	Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations 1988-1992 Permanent Court of Arbitration 1988-1992 President of London Court of International Arbitration 1998-2001 Private Practice: Ogilvy Renault 1961-2011 Cabinet Yves Fortier 2012 - present
55	1983-84	Robert H. McKercher born 1930	Saskatoon	Private Practice: McKercher LLP
56	1984-85	Claude R. Thomson 1933-2010	Toronto	Private Practice: Fasken Martineau ADR Chambers
57	1985-86	Robert Wells born 1933	St. John's	Crown Attorney, Provincial Department of Justice Private Practice Member of the Newfoundland House of Assembly and Minister of Health Justice of the Trial Division of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland
58	1986-87	Bryan Williams	Vancouver	Private Practice: Swinton & Company Justice of the British Columbia Court of Appeal 1995 - 1996 Chief Justice of the British Columbia Supreme Court 1996 - 2000
59	1987-88	Jean Bazin	Montreal	Private Practice: Byers Casgrain / Fraser Milner Casgrain / Dentons Senate of Canada 1986 - 1989
60	1988-89	Patrick Peacock	Calgary	Private Practice: Peacock, Linder, Halt and Mack 1994 - present President, Calgary Stampeders Football Club 1985 - 1986

Canadian Bar Association Presidents by Province or Territory

No.	Province or Territory	Number of Presidents	Names
1	Alberta	#	Bennett; MacKimmie; McCuaig; Peacock; Saucier; Walsh
2	British Columbia	#	Clark; Farris (John L.); Farris (John W. deB.); Ferris; Fraser; Lundell; Maitland; Owen; Williams
3	Manitoba	#	Aikins (Gordon Harold); Aikins (Sir James); Campbell; Dorfman; MacAulay; Pitblado; Williams
4	New Brunswick	#	Carter; McKelvey
5	Newfoundland & Labrador	#	Wells
6	Nova Scotia	#	Cooper; Cox; McInnes; Stewart
7	Ontario	#	Davis; Fennell; Gowling; Henderson; Jamieson; Kelly; McCarthy; McRuer; Nesbitt; Pattillo; Rowell; Somerville; Thomson; Weir
8	Prince Edward Island	#
9	Quebec	#	Bazin; Beaulieu; Brais; Casgrain; de Grandpré; Hackett; Fortier; Hansard; Hutchinson; Martin; Montgomery; St Laurent (Louis); St. Laurent (Renault); Taschereau; Viau
10	Saskatchewan	#	Leslie; McKercher
11	Northwest Territories	#
12	Nunavut	#
13	Yukon	#
14	Total:

External links

• Canadian Bar Association Webpage