The Honourable John Manley, lawyer and former parliamentarian, was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 9:30 a.m. ceremony on Friday, June 16, “in recognition of an outstanding contribution as a national leader, and long-time service to the Ottawa community.”
Mr. Manley was first elected to Parliament as a Liberal in 1988 and was re-elected three times. Through 16 years of public service, Mr. Manley held several senior portfolios in the Canadian government including the Minister of Industry, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, and Deputy Prime Minister of Canada. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Mr. Manley was named Chairman of the Public Security and Anti-terrorism Cabinet Committee and counterpart to the U.S. Homeland Security Chief, a role which earned him TIME Canada Magazine’s “Newsmaker of the Year” later that year.
After leaving federal politics, he chaired the review committee reporting to the Ontario government on the future of the province’s power generation company and co-chaired an independent Task Force on the Future of North America for the Council on Foreign Relations. Presently, as Senior Counsel at McCarthy Tetrault LLP, Mr. Manley provides strategic advice on matters relating to public affairs including trade, telecommunications, security, and finance.