Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin
Charlottetown– The sixth annual Symons Lecture on the State of Canadian Confederation takes place at the Confederation Centre of the Arts on October 21. H. Wayne Hambly, Chair of the Fathers of Confederation Buildings Trust is delighted and honoured to announce that the Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, P.C., Chief Justice of Canada, has accepted an invitation to give the 2008 Symons Lecture.
The Honourable Robert Ghiz, Premier of Prince Edward Island, will introduce Chief Justice McLachlin. The Honourable David Jenkins, Chief Justice of PEI, will thank the speaker. The Symons Lecture on the State of Confederation, a national event that provides Canadians an opportunity to reflect upon their country and its future, is held each fall in Charlottetown to mark the anniversary of the meetings of the Fathers of Confederation in 1864. The lecture honours Professor Thomas H.B. Symons, a supporter and board member of the Confederation Centre for many years. Professor Symons, the founding President of Trent University in Ontario, is widely recognized for his work in the field of Canadian Studies, in particular in the areas of public policy, heritage and education. Chief Justice McLachlin was born in Pincher Creek, Alberta, and attended the University of Alberta at Edmonton. She articled in Edmonton and practiced law in Edmonton, Fort St. John and Vancouver from 1968 to 1971. She taught at the Faculty of Law of the University of British Columbia from 1975 to 1981. In 1981 Chief Justice McLachlin was appointed to the County Court of Vancouver and elevated to the Supreme Court of British Columbia later that year and to the Court of Appeal of British Columbia in 1986. In 1988 she became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, where she served until her appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1989. On January 7, 2000, she became Chief Justice of Canada. Chief Justice McLachlin has authored numerous publications.