Commissioner Oliphant Appoints Legal Counsel

OTTAWA, July 18 /CNW Telbec/ - Mr. Justice Jeffrey J. Oliphant, Commissioner of the Commission of Inquiry into Certain Allegations Respecting Business and Financial Dealings Between Karlheinz Schreiber and the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, announced today the appointment of Legal Counsel for the Commission. Richard Wolson, Q.C. has been appointed Lead Commission Counsel; Nancy Brooks and Evan Roitenberg have been appointed Commission Counsel. The appointments take effect immediately.

Richard Wolson, Q.C., Lead Commission Counsel, is a founding member and partner of the firm of Gindin, Wolson, Simmonds, Roitenberg, a firm exclusively devoted to the practice of criminal law. He has previously served as Commission Counsel in the Sophonow Inquiry and acted as counsel to parties in the Monnin Inquiry and Driskell Inquiry.

Nancy Brooks, Commission Counsel, is a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP where she practices public law and commercial litigation. She has acted as counsel to several inquiry bodies and administrative tribunals and served as Executive Legal Officer to the Chief Justice of Canada, the Rt. Hon. Beverley McLachlin P.C. from 2004-2007.

Evan Roitenberg, Commission Counsel, is a senior criminal law specialist and is the President of the Manitoba Criminal Trial Lawyers Association; Board Member of the Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers; member of the Manitoba Criminal Justice Committee; member of the Tariff Review Committee with Legal Aid Manitoba; and a past Co-Chair of the Criminal Justice Subsection of the Manitoba Bar Association.

Mr. Justice Jeffrey J. Oliphant, formerly Associate Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench for Manitoba, and now a justice of that court, was appointed on June 12, 2008 as a Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into certain allegations respecting business and financial dealings between Karlheinz Schreiber and the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney. The appointment was made under Part 1 of the Inquiries Act, with all the powers set out in the Act, including the authority to hold hearings, summon witnesses and gather evidence needed to conduct the inquiry. As Commissioner of the Inquiry, Mr. Justice Oliphant's mandate will be to investigate and report on the 17 questions raised by Professor David Johnston in his report to the Prime Minister of January 9, 2008. The report resulting from the Inquiry will be submitted to the Government on or before June 12, 2009.

Biographical notes are attached. The terms of reference are available online at http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?Language=e&Page=information&Sub=commissions&Doc=karl_e.htm

The Commission's website will be accessible in the near future at www.oliphantcommission.ca. (or "is accessible at" depending on its status when this release is issued.)

BIOGRAPHIES

JUSTICE JEFFREY JAMES OLIPHANT, Q.C., COMMISSIONER, was born in Dauphin, Manitoba on February 10, 1944. He and his wife, Irene, have two children, Joel and Renae. He graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Manitoba and was called to the bar of the Province of Manitoba June 2, 1967. He joined the law firm of Johnston, Johnston and Johnston as an associate in June of 1967 where he became partner in 1969. Justice Oliphant continuously engaged in the practice of law from 1967 until 1985, with an emphasis on criminal and civil litigation. From 1970 until 1985, he was engaged as an arbitrator in labour arbitrations throughout the Province of Manitoba.

On December 23, 1980, he received an appointment as Queen's Counsel. He was appointed August 22, 1985 as a Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba and on December 24, 1990 he was appointed Associate Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba.

Justice Oliphant was appointed June 13, 2002 as a Deputy Judge of the Nunavut Court of Justice.

He was a member of the Canadian Judicial Council from 1990 to 2008. He served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Canadian Judicial Council, the Judicial Independence Committee, the Administration of Justice Committee and as Vice Chair of the Judicial Conduct Committee, Chair of the Public Information Committee, Trial Courts Committee, the Judges' Technology Advisory Committee, the Sub-Committee on Computer Security and the Judicial Education Committee.

On July 1, 2008, following his appointment as Commissioner, he resigned as Associate Chief Justice and opted for supernumerary status.

RICHARD WOLSON, Q.C. LEAD COMMISSION COUNSEL, graduated from the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law in 1972 and was called to the Bar of Manitoba in 1973. Appointed Queen's Counsel in 1995, he joined the firm of Walsh, Micay and Company in 1974 and became a partner in 1977. He became a founding member and partner of the firm of Gindin, Wolson, Simmonds, Roitenberg in 1995 where he presently practices. Since his call to the bar he has practised exclusively in the field of Criminal Law and Administrative Law.

He is the past president of the Criminal Law Subsection of the Manitoba Bar Association; founding Member of the Inns of Court; Fellow of the International Society of Barristers. Lecturing faculty member Federation of Law Societies National Criminal Law Program 1985-2005.

Author of numerous articles in the area of Criminal Law and Wrongful Convictions, he has practiced before all levels of Court in Manitoba and as counsel in all Western Provinces, Ontario, Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories. Mr. Wolson served as Commission Counsel in the Sophonow Inquiry and acted as counsel to parties in the Monnin Inquiry and Driskell Inquiry.

NANCY BROOKS, COMMISSION COUNSEL, is a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP where she practices public law and commercial litigation. Nancy has acted as counsel to several inquiry bodies and administrative tribunals. Her commercial litigation practice focuses on contractual disputes, shareholder remedies, employment law and product liability claims. She has appeared before the superior courts in Ontario, the Federal Courts and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Nancy served as Executive Legal Officer to the Chief Justice of Canada, The Rt. Hon. Beverley McLachlin P.C. from 2004-2007. In that role, she advised on legal matters pertaining to appeals and applications for leave to appeal, served as a member of a number of Supreme Court of Canada Committees, and as Secretary of the Board of Governors of the National Judicial Institute.

Nancy has appeared before the superior courts of Ontario, the Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. She is a member of The Advocates' Society, Canadian Bar Association, Ontario Bar Association and the County of Carleton Law Association. She has taught Remedies at the Faculty of Common Law, University of Ottawa, and has been an invited speaker at numerous seminars and conferences.

EVAN ROITENBERG, COMMISSION COUNSEL, graduated from Robson Hall, University of Manitoba Law School in 1991 and was called to the bar in 1992. In 1998 he became a founding member of Pinx, Roitenberg, Campbell, and practiced there until 2003 when he joined Gindin, Wolson, Simmonds, Roitenberg.

Mr. Roitenberg has practiced almost exclusively in the area of criminal law. He is the President of the Manitoba Criminal Trial Lawyers Association; Board Member of the Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers; member of the Manitoba Criminal Justice Committee; member of the Tariff Review Committee with Legal Aid Manitoba; and a past Co-Chair of the Criminal Justice Subsection of the Manitoba Bar Association.

He currently serves as a Learning Group Facilitator in Advocacy for the Manitoba CPLED Program (Bar Admission Course), has been a guest lecturer at the University of Manitoba Law School and University of Winnipeg, presented at Continuing Legal Education workshops, and has sat on a number of committees for the Law Society of Manitoba.

Mr. Roitenberg regularly appears before all court levels in Manitoba, and has appeared as counsel in B.C., Saskatchewan, Ontario, and the Supreme Court of Canada.

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