Honorary Degree Recipient 2014

The Honourable Frank Iacobucci
Doctor of Laws
Biography

The Honourable Frank Iacobucci has made outstanding contributions to Canada’s civic life and discourse as a lawyer, academic, judge, policy advisor, and negotiator.

Frank grew up in Vancouver and earned bachelors of commerce and law degrees from the University of British Columbia before studying at Cambridge University where he received a master’s of law in 1964 and a diploma in international law in 1966.

He practised corporate law before moving to academia. Between 1967 and 1985, Frank was affiliated with the University of Toronto as a law professor, law dean, and university vice-president. Frank then served as the federal deputy minister of justice and deputy attorney general.

Frank was appointed chief justice of the Federal Court of Canada in 1988 and a Supreme Court of Canada justice in 1991. He returned to private practice with the firm Torys LLP in 2004.

The protection of human rights has been a hallmark of Frank Iacobucci’s career. He was the commissioner of an internal federal inquiry into the alleged torture of three Arab-Canadians in the Middle East and he represented the federal government in the negotiation of the 2005 Indian Residential Schools settlement.

In 2013, he released his landmark report investigating the under-representation of First Nations people on Ontario juries. The report, commissioned by the provincial government, made recommendations to address systemic discrimination against Aboriginal Canadians.

Frank is now the Ontario government’s lead “Ring of Fire” negotiator. This region in Northwestern Ontario contains vast mineral deposits and Frank is working with the Matawa First Nations who live there to foster sustainable mineral exploration and mining.

When he was announced as lead negotiator Frank said, “I feel passionately about involving First Nations in decisions about development in their communities and traditional lands and ensuring they benefit from the economic opportunities to be realized from development in the Ring of Fire.”

Frank Iacobucci has received numerous awards and distinctions. In 2007, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada and this year he was named an Honorary Witness by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada for his advancement of Aboriginal issues.