A university can be measured by the contributions of its graduates to the greater society, says former Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci.
Iacobucci spoke to about 430 graduates from the Faculty of Law, School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies, the Richard Ivey School of Business and the Schulich School of Medicine Dentistry at the June 12 afternoon session of Western’s 293rd Convocation.
Frank Iacobucci
The University of Western Ontario conferred an honorary Doctor of Civil Law upon Iacobucci in recognition of his contributions to Canada as a Supreme Court justice.
“Each of you possess something magical,” he says. “Please do not take for granted the immense power that you have as individuals.”
“A university degree is not so much a ticket to earn a living, as it is a passport to learn how to live.”
Regardless of the professions each will pursue, Iacobucci encouraged graduates to focus on organization, learning and the spirit of public service. Earning a livelihood is merely incidental, he says.
Although graduates are entering the workforce during uncertain times, Iacobucci is optimistic about what the future holds.
“Look at the doughnut, not the hole,” he joked. “There has been no other more fascinating position in history than the present.”
Iacobucci was born, raised and educated in Vancouver, where he received his B. Comm. and LL.B. from the University of British Columbia. He went on to receive his LL.M. and Diploma in International Law from Cambridge University.
In 1964, he began his career in the practice of corporate and securities law in New York City. In 1967, he joined the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law where he was a professor until 1985. He also served as Vice-President, Internal Affairs at the university from 1975 to 1979 and Dean of the Faculty of Law from 1979 to 1983. From 1983 to 1985, he was Vice-President and Provost of the university.
In 1985, Iacobucci was appointed Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General of Canada. Three years later, he was named Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada, and in 1991, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. He retired from the Supreme Court of Canada in June 2004.
On July 1, 2005, he joined Torys LLP as Counsel and became Chairman of Torstar Corporation. He currently serves as a Conduct Review Advisor for the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and is a member of the Board of Directors of Tim Hortons Inc. Iacobucci was appointed a Companion in the Order of Canada in July 2007.
In his citation, Western President Paul Davenport praised his longtime friend for his exemplary career in public service and commitment to higher education.
“For more than 40 years Mr. Iacobucci has built a reputation as one of Canada’s most distinguished jurists, educators and contributed to public policy,” says Davenport. “As a university leader, he has been an outspoken advocate of the value of higher education in shaping our country’s future and in placing scholarship and research on the agendas of both provincial and national governments.”
Davenport noted Iacobucci’s role as advisor to former premier Bob Rae in creating a 2005 report on Ontario universities and as chair of the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario as examples of leaving his mark on post-secondary education.
Iacobucci has “contributed in a very significant way to the education of each and every student who is convocating today,” he adds.
He holds honorary degrees from universities in Canada and abroad and is an Honorary Fellow of St. John’s College, Cambridge, and the American College of Trial Lawyers.
As part of the ceremony, the status of Professor Emeritus was conferred upon James Erskine (Ivey).