Bruce MacFarlane
Encyclopedia
Bruce A. MacFarlane, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is a Canadian lawyer, Crown prosecutor, legal scholar, and former federal and provincial Department of Justice official.
from the University of Winnipeg
in 1970 and his LL.B in 1973
from the University of Manitoba
. He also graduated from the Canadian Centre for Management Development in 1992.
(1974), Saskatchewan
(1979), and Alberta
(1987), and was appointed Queen’s Counsel by the Government of Canada
in 1987. He has appeared at trial and on appeal in four provinces and in the Supreme Court of Canada
. MacFarlane started his career in Winnipeg with the Federal Department of Justice prosecuting a wide variety of cases with a focus on drug conspiracies and white collar crime. Subsequently, he was appointed Director of Legal Services for the RCMP in Ottawa (1982), Director of Justice Canada in Alberta (1986) and finally Assistant Deputy Attorney General for Canada (1989) where he was responsible for all federal prosecutions across Canada. In 1993, he returned to his home province of Manitoba as Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General from 1993 to 2005. He was also appointed as Special Counsel to the Attorney General on Organized Crime and is currently a member of the Manitoba (1974) and Alberta Bars (1987). Presently, he is on temporary leave from Manitoba Justice
to teach at the Robson Hall (Faculty of Law - University of Manitoba)
as the Professional in Residence.
He has also held a variety of different special positions throughout his career. He was appointed as head negotiator to broker an extradition treaty with Mexico. He is a founding member of the Heads of Prosecution Agencies in the Commonwealth and he was a Commissioner at the Uniform Law Conference of Canada. He was also member of the National Crime Prevention Council Co-Chair of the National Committee of Deputy Ministers of Justice in Canada. In 2003, he presented a major paper on wrongful convictions at the bi-annual meeting of the Heads of Prosecution Agencies in the Commonwealth at Darwin, Australia, and presented a revised version at the Ireland meeting in 2005. He also appeared as an expert witness in the Lamer Commission of Inquiry into Wrongful Convictions in Newfoundland in 2005. In 2007 he provided testimony as a witness at former Supreme Court Justice John C. Major
Q.C.’s Air India Inquiry. Presently he is a Professional Affiliate, teaching criminal law at Robson Hall (Faculty of Law - University of Manitoba)
. He teaches classes entitled "Criminal Law and Procedure" and "Wrongful Convictions".
Mr. MacFarlane is a regular contributor to the Criminal Law Quarterly, and has authored a number of articles on criminal law topics which have been published by the University of British Columbia
, The University of Toronto, and the Canadian Bar Association
. His writings have been cited and relied upon by Canadian appellate courts and, in one instance, by the High Court of Australia
.
Education
Bruce MacFarlane received his B.A.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the University of Winnipeg
University of Winnipeg
The University of Winnipeg is a public university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and theology as well as graduate programs. The U of W's founding colleges were Manitoba College and Wesley College, which merged...
in 1970 and his LL.B in 1973
from the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
. He also graduated from the Canadian Centre for Management Development in 1992.
Career
Bruce MacFarlane was called to the bar in the provinces of ManitobaManitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
(1974), Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
(1979), and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
(1987), and was appointed Queen’s Counsel by the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
in 1987. He has appeared at trial and on appeal in four provinces and in the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
. MacFarlane started his career in Winnipeg with the Federal Department of Justice prosecuting a wide variety of cases with a focus on drug conspiracies and white collar crime. Subsequently, he was appointed Director of Legal Services for the RCMP in Ottawa (1982), Director of Justice Canada in Alberta (1986) and finally Assistant Deputy Attorney General for Canada (1989) where he was responsible for all federal prosecutions across Canada. In 1993, he returned to his home province of Manitoba as Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General from 1993 to 2005. He was also appointed as Special Counsel to the Attorney General on Organized Crime and is currently a member of the Manitoba (1974) and Alberta Bars (1987). Presently, he is on temporary leave from Manitoba Justice
Manitoba Justice
Manitoba Justice is a department of the Government of Manitoba. It is overseen by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Andrew Swan....
to teach at the Robson Hall (Faculty of Law - University of Manitoba)
Robson Hall (Faculty of Law - University of Manitoba)
The University of Manitoba's faculty of law, also known as Robson Hall, is located on the Fort Garry campus of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada...
as the Professional in Residence.
Academics and Other Positions
Bruce MacFarlane has published numerous scholarly writings on criminal law topics, including a leading text entitled Drug Offences in Canada, now in its third edition..He has also held a variety of different special positions throughout his career. He was appointed as head negotiator to broker an extradition treaty with Mexico. He is a founding member of the Heads of Prosecution Agencies in the Commonwealth and he was a Commissioner at the Uniform Law Conference of Canada. He was also member of the National Crime Prevention Council Co-Chair of the National Committee of Deputy Ministers of Justice in Canada. In 2003, he presented a major paper on wrongful convictions at the bi-annual meeting of the Heads of Prosecution Agencies in the Commonwealth at Darwin, Australia, and presented a revised version at the Ireland meeting in 2005. He also appeared as an expert witness in the Lamer Commission of Inquiry into Wrongful Convictions in Newfoundland in 2005. In 2007 he provided testimony as a witness at former Supreme Court Justice John C. Major
John C. Major
John Charles "Jack" Major, CC, QC is a Canadian jurist and was a puisne justice on the Supreme Court of Canada from 1992 to 2005....
Q.C.’s Air India Inquiry. Presently he is a Professional Affiliate, teaching criminal law at Robson Hall (Faculty of Law - University of Manitoba)
Robson Hall (Faculty of Law - University of Manitoba)
The University of Manitoba's faculty of law, also known as Robson Hall, is located on the Fort Garry campus of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada...
. He teaches classes entitled "Criminal Law and Procedure" and "Wrongful Convictions".
Mr. MacFarlane is a regular contributor to the Criminal Law Quarterly, and has authored a number of articles on criminal law topics which have been published by the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, The University of Toronto, and the Canadian Bar Association
Canadian Bar Association
The Canadian Bar Association represents over 37,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers, and law students from across Canada.-History:The Association's first Annual Meeting was held in Montreal in 1896. However, the CBA has been in continuous existence in its present form since 1914...
. His writings have been cited and relied upon by Canadian appellate courts and, in one instance, by the High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
.
Select Publications
- Bruce A. MacFarlane. "Wrongful Convictions: The Effect of Tunnel Vision and Predisposing Circumstances in the Criminal Justice System" (2008) Prepared for the Inquiry into Pediatric Forensic Pathology in Ontario, The Honourable Stephen T. Goudge, Commissioner.
- Bruce A. MacFarlane. "Structural Aspects of Terrorist Mega-Trials: A Comparative Analysis" (2007) Prepared for the Commission of Inquiry into the Investigation of the Bombing of Air India Flight 182,The Honourable John C. Major, Commissioner.
- Bruce A. MacFarlane. "Convicting the Innocent: A Triple Failure of the Justice System" (2006) 31 Man. L.J. 403.
- Bruce A. MacFarlane & Janet Reno. "Interview: Janet Reno on Wrongful Convictions" (2005-2006) 31 Man. L.J. 565.
- Bruce A. MacFarlane. "Sunlight and Disinfectants: Prosecutorial Accountability and Independence through Public Transparency" (2000) 45 Crim. L. Quarterly. 272.
- Bruce A. MacFarlane. "People Who Stalk People" (1997) 31 UBC L. Rev. 37.
- Bruce A. MacFarlane, Robert J. Frater & Chantal Proulx. Drug Offences in Canada, 3d ed. (Aurora, ON: Canada Law Book, 1996).
- Bruce A. MacFarlane. "Historical Development of the Offence of Rape" in Woods & Peck eds., 100 Years of the Criminal Code in Canada: Essays Commemorating the Centenary of the Criminal Code of Canada (Ottawa: Canadian Bar Association, 1993).
External links
- http://www.canadiancriminallaw.com/
- http://www.umanitoba.ca/law/newsite/index.php
- http://www.gov.mb.ca/justice/