BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
BRIGADIER-GENERAL KEN WATKIN, O.M.M., C.D., Q.C.
JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL OF THE CANADIAN FORCES
Brigadier-General Ken Watkin was born in Kingston, Ontario and has served as a Canadian Forces legal officer for 24 years in a variety of positions within the Office of the Judge Advocate General in the operational law, military justice and general legal services fields. He was the Deputy Judge Advocate General/Operations at the time of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 and during a significant portion of the subsequent deployments during “Campaign against Terrorism”.
Brigadier-General Watkin has been trial counsel at courts martial and appellate counsel before the Court Martial Appeal Court. He has supervised the development of training on military justice and the law of armed conflict and has also worked in the area of human rights, access to information, privacy and claims.
Brigadier-General Watkin served as a legal adviser at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa and as the Assistant Judge Advocate General/Atlantic Region. In this latter capacity he received the Maritime Commander’s Commendation. In 2002 Brigadier-General Watkin was appointed by the Governor General of Canada to the Order of Military Merit.
In 1993 Brigadier-General Watkin was the legal advisor to a Canadian military/civilian Board of Inquiry investigating the activities of the Canadian Airborne Regiment Battle Group in Somalia. From 1995 until 2005 he was counsel in respect of various investigations and inquiries arising from the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda. His operational law experience has also included service as a legal adviser to the Canadian Navy and advising Canadian Commanders in Bosnia.
Brigadier-General Watkin has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Royal Military College as well as a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws degrees from Queen’s University. From 2002 to 2003 he was a Visiting Fellow at the Human Rights Program, Harvard Law School. He has published widely on issues such as operational law, the law of armed conflict, discipline and human rights. He was appointed Queen's Counsel (Q.C.) by the Lieutenant Governor in Council of the Province of Newfoundland on 15 May 2006.
Brigadier-General Watkin has been a member of the Law Society of Newfoundland since 1981. He and wife, Maureen, have three daughters.
|
