OTTAWA, October 1, 2004 - Irwin Cotler, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment:

Robert G. Richards Q.C., of Regina is appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal of Saskatchewan.

Mr. Justice Richards received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Saskatchewan in 1979, and a Masters of Law from Harvard University in 1982. He was admitted to the Bar of Saskatchewan in 1985. He is also a past member of the Law Society of Upper Canada.

At the time of his appointment, he was a partner with the firm of MacPherson Leslie and Tyerman where he practised primarily in the areas of public law litigation and appellate matters. He has appeared before all levels of the courts, including numerous appearances before the Supreme Court of Canada. In the past, he also served as Director of Constitutional Law and Executive Director of Public Law and Policy for the Department of Justice of Saskatchewan.

Mr. Justice Richards has been the Prairie Region Vice-President for the International Commission of Jurists since 2003. In the past, he has also been Co-Chair of the Canadian Bar Association National Constitutional and Human Rights Section. He has lectured at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law, the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, and the Saskatchewan Bar Admission Course. He is the author of several legal articles.
This appointment is effective immediately.

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Ref.:
Denise Rudnicki
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Justice
(613) 992-4621