Senator Donald Oliver

HON. SENATOR DONALD H. OLIVER, Q.C.

B.A. Hons. (History), LLB, LLD Hons.

P.O. Box 2010, Station M

Halifax, Nova Scotia

B3J 2Z1

Hon. Dr. Donald H. Oliver, Q.C., Black lawyer from Halifax was born in Wolfville Nova Scotia on November 16, 1938, son of the late Helena and Clifford H. Oliver.  He was summoned to the Senate of Canada by the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, former Primer Minister of Canada, on September 7, 1990.

EDUCATION:

1. Graduated from Wolfville High School in 1956
2. Graduated from Acadia University, B.A. (Honours), History, in 1960
   1. Class Valedictorian
   2. Received the Ralph M. Hunt Prize in Political Science
   3. President, History Club
   4. President, Philosophy Club
   5. B.A. (Honours) Thesis: "Wesleyanism as a Vehicle of Social and Political  Criticism in the Century Before 1848"
3. Graduated from Dalhousie University Law School, LL.B., in 1964
   1. Sir James Dunn Scholarship in Law
   2. Awarded the G.O. Forsythe Prize for Scholarship and Character
   3. Faculty of Law Scholarship

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

1. Practiced Law in Halifax with Stewart McKelvey Stirling and Scales from (1965 to 1990) and subsequently at two other Law Firms for a total of 36 years primarily in Civil Litigation
2. Taught at Dalhousie University Law School as a part-time professor for 14 years
3. Taught a course in Law at the Technical University of Nova Scotia and Saint Mary's University
4. Lecturer in Pre-retirement Seminars in Wills and Estate Planning for the Provincial Department of Education from (1976-1990)

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND SERVICES:

1. Member, Canadian Bar Association
2. Member, Nova Scotia Barrister's Society
3. Bar Society Committee work:
   1. Member, Unauthorized Practices Committee
   2. Member, Professional Standards Committee
   3. Member, Reimbursement Fund Committee
   4. Member, Inter-Provincial/Inter-Jurisdictional Law Practice
   5. Co-chairman, Annual Meeting Committee (2 terms)
   6. Panelist and lecturer at Nova Scotia Bar Society Refresher Courses
4. Director, Law Foundation of Nova Scotia

SENATE ACTIVITIES:

•A.    Chair, Senate Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament (2009-present)

•B.    Former Vice-Chair, Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (2007-2008)

•C.    Former Chair, Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs (2006 -2007)

•D.   Former Chairman, Senate Standing Committee on National Finance (2004 - 2005)

•E.    Former Chairman, Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture  and  Forestry (2002 - 2004)

•F.    Former Chairman, Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (1992-1996)

•G.   Former Co-Chairman, Special Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons on a Code of Conduct (1995-1997)

•H.   Member, Senate Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce

•I.     Former Member, Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights

•J.     Former Member, Standing Joint Committee on Library of Parliament

•K.    Former Member, Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry

•L.    Former Member, Senate Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources

•M.   Former Member, Special Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons on a Renewed Canada

•N.   Former Member, Senate Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce

PAST COMMUNITY SERVICE:

1. Governor of the Technical University of Nova Scotia and Chairman of the Personnel Committee
2. President and Chairman of the Halifax Children's Aid Society
3. Atlantic Provinces Co-Chairman, Canadian Council of Christians and Jews Chairman
4. President and Director, Neptune Theatre Foundation (Appointed Honourary Life Director)
5. Founding Chairman, the Metro Volunteer Resource Centre
6. Director, National Youth Orchestra of Canada
7. Director, Junior Achievement of Halifax, Nova Scotia
8. Director, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
9. Director, Alumni Association of Acadia University
10. Director, Dalhousie University Alumni Association
11. Director, Halifax-Dartmouth Welfare Council
12. Director, Atlantic Ballet Company
13. Director, Halifax Court House Commission
14. Director, Halifax-Dartmouth United Appeal
15. Director, Hearing and Speech Clinic
16. Chairman, Board of Directors, Halifax Neighbourhood Centre
17. Director, Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Council
18. Director, Halifax Youth Communication Society
19. Member - Executive Committee, N.S. Leadership Prayer Breakfast
20. Director - Community Business Initiative Advisory Board - Federal Business Development Bank
21. Director - Nova Scotia Election Commission
22. Member - Special Advisory Council, Couchiching Institute on Public Affairs

CONTRIBUTION TO THE BLACK COMMUNITY:

1. Member - National Advisory Board of the James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies at Dalhousie University
2. Patron - AHEAD (Association for Higher Education and Development)
3. Founding President and First Chairman of the Board of the Society for the Protection and Preservation of Black Culture in Nova Scotia
4. Former Vice President - Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People - NSAACP
5. Founding Director Black United Front
6. Atlantic Provinces Representative to the Honourable Robert d'Cotre for the Advisory Committee on the Employment of Visible Minorities in the Public Service
7. Founding Chairman - Canadian Association for Visible Minorities
8. National Co-Chair - President's Advisory Group to fund a Chair on Canadian Black Studies at Dalhousie University
9. Member and Co-Chairman - Advisory Board for the Indigenous Black and MicMac Program at Dalhousie Law School
10. Atlantic Provinces Representative in Ethiopia with Operation Crossroads Africa Incorporated
11. Patron - National Council of Black Educators of Canada
12. Director - Atlantic Branch Operation Crossroads Africa Inc.
13. Committee Chair - African Diaspora Scholarship Empowerment Fund at the University of Windsor

POLITICS:

Senator Oliver has been active in political affairs with the Progressive Conservative Party for more than 50 years including serving as Director, Legal Affairs in six General Election Campaigns in 1972, 1974, 1979, 1980, 1984, and 1988 campaigns and he served in several executive offices. He served terms as National Vice-President Atlantic Region with the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and was Director of P.C. Canada Fund and a member of the Audit Committee of P.C. Canada Fund. He served for years as Constitution Chairman and member of the Finance Committee for the P.C. Party of Nova Scotia and is a former Vice-President of that Party.

FORMER AND CURRENT BUSINESS INTERESTS:

1. President, Dolin Fisheries Limited
2. President, Pleasant River Farms Limited
3. President, Glen Moir Holdings Limited
4. Director, Advisory Board AT&T Canada Inc.
5. AT&T Committee Chairman: Moving to the New Millennium
6. Director and Vice-President, S.O.M. Holdings Inc., a development company
7. Member, Canada Council Investment Committee
8. Speaker/lecturer on topics such as Corporate Governance, Political Ethics, Pluralism and Diversity, Canadian Constitution and Election Law
9. Consultant, Advisor and Director of a number of other national and international companies

AWARDS:

1. Harry Jerome Award for Community Services, 1996
2. Honorary Degree, Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) from Dalhousie University, May 2003
3. African-Canadian Achievement Award for Outstanding Achievement in Politics, April 2004
4. Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission Human Rights Award, 2006
5. Honorary Degree, Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) from the University of Guelph, June 2006
6. Honorary Degree, Doctor of Civil Laws (honoris causa) from Acadia University, May 2007
7. Special Board Award of Business Excellence from the Black Business Initiative, June 2009

SOME KEY SPEECHES:

Technology

"Pragmatic Optimism: Benefits of Technology in a Changing World": Microsoft Government Leaders Forum, Redmond, Washington - May 17^th, 2004

Business

"Regional Trade Agreements: How They Play a role in Advancing Multilateral Negotiations": 15^th Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum, Moscow, Russia - January 21-26^th, 2007

"Advancing Multilateral Negotiations Through Regional and Bilateral Trade Agreements: Canada's Commitment to Liberalized Trade":  Parliamentary WTO Conference, Geneva, Switzerland - December 2^nd, 2006

"Improving the Economy of Nova Scotia: Avenues to Follow": Investment Property Owners Association of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia - March 28^th, 2002

Governance and Parliament

"Adopting the U.K. Accounting Officer Model in Canada":  8^th Workshop of Parliamentary Scholars and Parliamentarians, Oxfordshire, England - July 26-27^th, 2008

"Canada's Commitment to Climate Change: The Creation of a Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development". 116^th IPU Assembly, Bali, Indonesia - April 10^th, 2007

"The Federal Accountability Act: Strengthening the Rules and Institutions that Ensure Transparency and Accountability to Canadians": First Annual Commonwealth Caribbean Parliamentary Workshop, Trinidad and Tobago - January 9-11^th, 2007

"Civil Society and Good Governance": Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum, Jakarta, Indonesia - January 15-20^th, 2006

"Promoting Innovative Sources of Financing for Development: The Role for Parliaments": Joint UN-IPU Meeting, New York, United States of America - June 10^th, 2005

"Good Corporate Governance in Canada: 4 Critical Areas to Making it Work": Conference Board of Canada - Corporate Responsibility and Ethics Council, Toronto, Ontario - October 17^th, 2002

"Corporate Governance Issues - Post Enron": Ottawa Chapter of the Canadian Association of Business Economists, Ottawa, Ontario - June 19^th, 2002

"Institutional Investors and Corporate Governance Issues": 11^th Annual Investor Relations Conference, Toronto, Ontario - May 26^th, 1998

"The ‘New Conservatism' in the 1990's": International Young Democrat Union Foundation Meeting, Washington, District of Columbia - March 4^th, 1991

Pensions

"Institutional Activism": Association of Canadian Pension Management Annual Conference, Mont-Tremblant, Quebec - September 20^th, 2000

Diversity and Human Rights

"A Parliamentary View on Pluralism":  Panel on Managing Diversity, 120^th General Assembly of the International Parliamentary Union, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - April 8^th, 2009

"60 Years after the Declaration of Human Rights: The Canadian Experience with respect to Minority Rights":  UNESCO and Canada Council for the Arts joint ceremony, Ottawa, Ontario - December 18^th, 2009

"Integration and Respect for Diversity: A Canadian Perspective": Council of Europe "Human Rights in Culturally Diverse Societies: Challenges and Perspectives", The Hague, Netherlands - November 12^th, 2008 

"Fostering a Vibrant Culture of Diversity":  Canadian Security Intelligence Services Executive Meeting, Montebello, Québec - October 28^th, 2008

"Making the Case for Diversity Today - A Canadian Perspective": Conference on Diversity through Equality: In Public Administration in Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark - October 18^th, 2007

"People Mix and Mingle: Capturing the Promise of Diversity": Canada-Norway Business Association, Oslo, Norway - October 10^th, 2006

"Canadian Multiculturalism in Theory and Practice: Individual and Group Rights": University of Aarhus, Copenhagen, Denmark - October 13^th, 2006

"Diversity and Integration in Education, Skills and Business; the Canadian Experience and Challenges for Europe": Copenhagen School of Business, Copenhagen, Denmark - October 2006

"Creating a Culture of Inclusion": Human Resources Management Group World Event Canada, Stockholm, Sweden - April 27^th, 2006

"Diversity in Government: Capturing the Full Promise of Pluralism": World Event Canada, Stockholm, Sweden - April 26^th, 2006

"Corporate Canada and the Diversity Challenge": HP Canada, Toronto, Ontario - November 25^th, 2005

"Canadian Perspective on the Integration of Visible Minority Groups": International Seminar on Advancing Equity and Racial Inclusion, Brasilia, Brazil - April 13^th, 2005

"Achieving Results Through Diversity: A Strategy for Success":  Ivey Business Journal, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario - March/April 2005

"The Universality of Human Rights: A Canadian Perspective": Atlantic Human Rights Centre, Fredericton, New Brunswick - March 20^th, 1998

"Race Relations and the Challenge for the New Millennium": London Race Relations Advisory Committee, London, Ontario - March 16^th, 1997

"The Black Man's Passion for Equality and Freedom: Nova Scotia's Black History": The Barton Lecture to the Faculty and Students of Upper Canada College, Toronto, Ontario - May 15^th, 1995

HOBBIES:

1. Author of a gourmet cookbook
2. Member Saraguay Club and Halifax Club
3. Grand Connétable - Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin
4. Member Chester Golf and Country Club

PERSONAL:

Senator Oliver is married to M. Linda Oliver (nee MacLellan) - a telecommunications consultant.  They have one daughter, Carolynn.  The family enjoys Alpine skiing, golf, travel and gardening.

CONTACTS:

Ottawa office          (613) 943-1445

Ottawa fax             (613) 943-1502

Residence               (902) 685-3873

E-mail                    This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it  

Website                  http://www.senatordonaldoliver.ca/