Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m J U L Y 2 0 1 5 11 \ AT L A N T I C \ C E N T R A L \ W E S T REGIONAL WRAP-UP Junior lawyer to justice minister: Kathleen Ganley's great adventure T alk about getting thrown in at the deep end. One day, Kathleen Ganley is a bright 36-year-old junior labour and employment lawyer, then she gets swept to victory in her downtown Calgary riding as part of the NDP's historic elec- tion victory in Alberta. Even she seemed surprised. "It's still all sinking in," she told reporters on election night. Two weeks later, she was in front of the Alberta Legis- lature being sworn in as minister of justice and solicitor general, not to mention the minister of aboriginal relations as well. Since then, she has been learning her portfolio, meeting and appointing minis- terial staff and, no doubt, contemplating some of the very difficult problems con- fronting the justice system, for which she has now become largely responsible. Among the immediate issues Ganley will have to address are an underfunded Alberta legal aid program, which is con- tributing to a growing number of self- represented litigants, and what many see as a two-tiered legal system. A shortage of judges, workload pressure on Crowns, overcrowded provincial jails, pressure on youth detention facilities, administrative over-reach, and the list goes on. That said, Ganley acted swiftly in reversing a previous government decision to close the Calgary Young Offender Cen- tre and move 70 to 80 young offenders to Edmonton. The often acerbic Calgary Her- ald columnist Don Braid applauded the move saying it was a chance for Ganley "to knock one out of the park." Ganley has a solid academic record. Besides her law degree she has a BSc in psychology and a BA in philosophy. She worked at the Calgary firm of McGown Johnson before winning the election. Her NDP web site lists her as being "passionate about volunteerism, having volunteered continuously since she was 12." Derek Jugnauth, a Calgary criminal lawyer was in Ganley's 2011 graduat- ing class at the University of Calgary law school. He remembers her as bright, outgoing, and imbued with a strong work ethic. While he agrees that becoming jus- tice minister three years after being called to the bar will be a challenge "you have to credit her with the courage to take it on. Her political career will no doubt start with a very significant learning curve, but she also has an incredible opportunity." While Ganley has impressive aca- demic accomplishments behind her, her resume is slim. That troubles some senior members of the Alberta legal profession. Tom Engel, a combative and controver- sial Edmonton lawyer who was almost perpetually at odds with the previous pro- vincial government says about Ganley's inexperience, "Obviously, I'm concerned [but] a vessel with lots of room to fill may be a good thing." He believes Ganley can learn and learn fast "I am cautiously very optimistic," he says. Shannon Prithipaul, the president of the Edmonton-based Criminal Trial Law- yers Association, an organization which has been sharply critical of the previous Conservative justice minister Jonathan Denis says, "I don't think [Ganley] could be any worse than him." Prithipaul believes because Ganley is relatively new to the profession officials in Alberta Justice will "surround her with experience" and "give her balance." Prithi- paul's advice? "Be careful about what you say and don't say stupid things." — GEOFF ELLWAND writerlaw@gmail.com W E S T Kathleen Ganley being sworn in. JIM GLADSTONE: RODEO COWBOY AND LAWYER DIES AT 72 I n Alberta, the summer is filled with rodeos, the biggest and most glitzy of which is Calgary's Stampede. That makes it an appropriate time to acknowledge the recent passing of Jim Gladstone, a world champion calf roper, a member of the Stampede and the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, and a man who, at age 42, graduated from the University of Alberta as a lawyer. Gladstone, a member of the Blood Reserve in southern Alberta, did mostly criminal law as well as a lot of work on governance in First Nations communities. A high point in his legal career came in 1996 when he appealed a second-degree murder conviction to the Supreme Court of Canada (R. v. McMaster). Two co- accused, who admitted beating a man to death, argued their state of drunkenness was so great at the time they could not have formed the intent to kill. The majority of the court accepted that argument. Gladstone represented one of the two men. He was Harley McMaster, Gladstone's cousin. "I've never looked at a judge like a bull," he told the High River Times in 2004. "But [rodeo] taught me to face tough opposition and be able to handle it." Gladstone's large funeral was held shortly after his death in May at the Cardston Agridome, in Cardston, Alta. He was buried at the nearby Blood Reserve where he lived. He was 72. — GE REUTERS/TOPHER SEGUIN

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