CALGARY - Toronto immigration and refugee lawyer Lorne Waldman, co-counsel for Maher Arar in the Arar inquiry, has been selected as the recipient of the Canadian Bar Association's (CBA) 2007 Louis St-Laurent Award of Excellence for distinguished service to the association.
Waldman represented the CBA in its intervention in the Charkaoui case, which led to the Supreme Court of Canada striking down the use of security certificates to detain suspects for an indefinite period. He is co-counsel for the CBA in its capacity as an intervener in the Air India Inquiry and in hearings into the review of Canadian anti-terrorism legislation, and represented the CBA on anti-terrorism issues during hearings by the International Commission of Jurists.
"Lorne's passion for the protection of human rights in the context of immigration and refugee law is reflected in his many accomplishments - his pro bono intervention for the CBA in Charkaoui before the Supreme Court of Canada, his analysis of the Anti-Terrorism Act, which led to the association's compelling case for an independent oversight committee and in the CBA's intervention before the Air India Inquiry," said J. Parker MacCarthy, Q.C., President of the CBA. "His writings on immigration law and his pro bono work for both clients and the association alike stand as outstanding examples of giving back to community and profession."
Waldman has been involved in many high-profile and groundbreaking immigration law cases, including, among many others, acting as co-counsel in Razolzadeh, a class-action suit challenging the retroactivity of skilled worker regulations under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, Chieu, dealing with the equitable jurisdiction of the Immigration and Refugee Board's Appeal Division, and representing the Italian Senate as an intervener before the Supreme Court of Canada in the Burns and Rafay appeal, the only time an en entity representing a foreign government has been granted intervener standing in a Charter case in Canada.
Waldman is the author and editor of Immigration Law and Practice, a two-volume, loose-leaf service he updates quarterly. He is also the author of The Definition of Convention Refugee and Canadian Immigration and Refugee Practice. He is currently a member of the Federal Court Reports Advisory Committee, where he assists the editor of the Federal Court Reports in deciding which immigration-related decisions should be included in the Federal Court Reports. Waldman has also been a frequent speaker at CBA and Law Society of Upper Canada seminars.
Waldman received his law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1977, and was called to the bar in 1979. He received a master's degree in law from the University of Toronto in 2000.
The Louis St-Laurent Award, which takes the form of a bronze statue of the former prime minister, recognizes distinguished or exceptional service to the goals of the Canadian Bar Association. The 2006 CBA Louis St-Laurent Award will be presented at 12:30 p.m. MDT on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2007, in the Telus Convention Centre, Macleod C, Calgary, as part of the 2007 Canadian Legal Conference. The event is open to accredited journalists 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 37,000 lawyers, law teachers, and law students from across Canada are members.
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CONTACT: Hannah Bernstein, Canadian Bar Association, Aug. 10-14,Telus Convention Centre, Glen 208 Room, 403-218-7856; E-mail: hannahb@cba.org.
