TORONTO, May 23, 2008 -- The Hon. Roy McMurtry, former Ontario chief justice and attorney general and Canadian high commissioner to Great Britain, will be installed today as chancellor of York University.
McMurtry will be the university’s 12th chancellor for a term of three years or until a successor is appointed, succeeding former Canadian Supreme Court Justice Peter deCarteret Cory, who has served as York’s chancellor since 2004.
“Roy McMurtry’s lifelong experience as an advocate for social justice, coupled with his storied career in law and politics, will be invaluable to York as we build upon our strong commitment to community outreach,” said York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri.
Born in Toronto, McMurtry, 75, is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1958. He received an honours degree in history from the University of Toronto. After practising as a trial lawyer for 17 years, he was elected to the Ontario legislature in 1975, where he was appointed attorney general by then-Premier Bill Davis. As attorney general, McMurtry argued major constitutional cases in the Supreme Court of Canada and played a key role in the proclamation of Canada’s new Constitution in 1982. He also served as solicitor general from 1978 until 1982.
McMurtry left office in 1985 to become Canada’s high commissioner (ambassador) to Great Britain. In this role he chaired the Commonwealth Heads of Government Committee (on South Africa), which played an important role in ending apartheid in South Africa and freeing Nelson Mandela from prison. In 1996, he was appointed as chief justice of Ontario.
Prior to his political career, McMurtry was involved in a wide range of public service, including Big Brothers, rehabilitation projects for former penitentiary inmates, senior citizens’ housing and multicultural initiatives. He is a longtime supporter of adult education, dating back to his university days when he worked and taught at Frontier College, one of Canada’s first adult education institutions.
McMurtry is the founder and president of The Osgoode Society, a body established in 1979 for the writing of Canadian legal history. Last year, his significant contributions to the legal profession were recognized with Osgoode Hall Law School’s Award of Excellence (The Robinette Medal) and the President of the Canadian Bar Association’s Award of Merit. He was named to the Order of Ontario, the province's highest tribute, in December, 2007.
“We are honored to have Roy McMurtry, one of Canada’s renowned legal reformers and a highly-respected member of the international community, assume this important leadership role,” said Marshall Cohen, Chair of York’s Board of Governors.
McMurtry is married to Ria Jean Macrae, with whom he has six children.
The ceremony will take place on York’s Keele campus at 4:00 p.m. at the Tribute Communities Recital Hall, 112 Accolade East Building (number 92 on the York U map).
York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 190,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 11 faculties and 24 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
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Media contact:
Keith Marnoch
York University, Media Relations
416.736.2100 ext. 22091
marnoch@yorku.ca
