July 26-27, 1999
Montreal, Canada

Speaker Biography

Roger Tassé, O.C., Q.C.

Partner
Gowling Strathy and Henderson

Member of the Quebec Bar (1956), Ontario Bar (1986), Federal Q.C. (1971) and Officer of the Order of Canada (1981)

Former Deputy Solicitor General of Canada (1972-1977) and Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General of Canada (1977-1985).

Served as Principal Constitutional Advisor to the Government of Canada at the time of the 1980 Referendum on Quebec Sovereignty and the federal/provincial negotiations that took place thereafter that led to the adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Left the Public Service in 1985 to practice law in Ottawa.

Served as principal policy advisor to the Chief Negotiator in the Canada-France Dispute on Maritime Boundaries between Canada and St-Pierre et Miquelon (1987).

Acted as Principal Constitutional Advisor to the Government of Canada in the development and negotiations of the Meech Lake Accord of 1987 and the negotiations that followed until 1990.

Left private practice to become Executive Vice-President (Legal and Environmental Affairs) at Bell Canada (1988). In that capacity had lead responsibility for advising Bell with respect to matters such as federal telecommunications legislation, long-distance competition, constitutional issues regarding telecommunications, privacy legislation, etc.

Authored a chapter of the Second Edition of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1989), Beaudoin and Rathusny on the Application of the Charter.

Returned to private practice in 1992.

Served as a member of the Federal Government Citizens' Forum on the Future of Canada (1991-1992).

Acted as Principal Constitutional Advisor to the Joint Committee of the Senate and the House of Commons on the Future of Canada (1992).

Served as Chief Canadian Negotiator on dispute between Canada and France on the sharing of fisheries between the two countries following the decision of the International Arbitration Tribunal on the boundary issue between Newfoundland and St-Pierre et Miquelon (1992).

Acted as Principal Constitutional Advisor and Negotiator to the Government of Canada in matters relating to the division of powers between the federal and provincial governments in the negotiations leading to the Charlottetown Accord (1992).

Served as Co-chair of the Federal Task Force on the Financing of Canadian Magazines (1994).

Served as a member of the Federal Review Panel on Direct-to-Home Satellite Broadcasting Services (1995).

Commissioned by Revenue Canada (Customs & Excise) to study and Report on the Powers of Customs Officers at the Border to Enforce Canadian Criminal Law (1995).

Commissioned by Revenue Canada (Customs & Excise) to review and Report on the Departmental Administrative Processes for the Handling of Pornographic Material Seeking Entry in Canada (1995).

Co-authored "Canada: Finding the Middle Ground" (1995), a discussion on issues of governance and the unity of Canada.

Co-authored a chapter of the Third Edition of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Beaudoin & Mendes, 1996).

Served as member of the Advisory Committee of the Minister of National Revenue on the Impact of Electronic Commerce on Tax Policy and Administration (1997-1998).

Co-author of Reports to Industry Canada on Consumer Rights in Canada in the Context of Electronic Commerce (1998) and Electronic Commerce and the Competition Act (1999).

Currently practised law with Gowling, Strathy & Henderson in Ottawa.