Distinguished Canadian Annual Address 2009

The Honourable 

Donald H. Oliver, Q.C.

Senator for Nova Scotia

Diversity and the Digital Divide:

The Challenge for Universities

Born in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Donald Oliver graduated from Dalhousie University Law School, receiving the G.O. Forsythe Prize for Scholarship and Character. In 1965, he was called to the Bar of Nova Scotia and began to practice law with the prestigious Halifax law firm, Stewart, McKelvey, Stirling, and Scales. Senator Oliver was also to work with two other firms, primarily in the field of civil litigation.

 On September 7, 1990, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney summoned Donald Oliver to the Senate of Canada. He has served as a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce, as the Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications, and is currently Chairman of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry. Senator Oliver was also Co-chair of the Special Joint Committee on a Code of Conduct for Parliamentarians. In addition to his work in the areas of human rights and visible minorities, Senator Oliver is a strong advocate of Corporate Responsibility. Most recently, Senator Oliver spearheaded a Conference Board of Canada study on Visible Minorities and the Canadian Labour Market.