Series 7 - Other activities

0.68 m of textual records

The records in this series document some of Dr. Friedland’s professional activities, mostly outside the Faculty of Law (he retired in 1998 but still teaches). The first three boxes focus on his relationship with the University of Toronto Press where he served on its Board of Directors and has sat on its Manuscripts Review Committee for over twenty years, including being chair since 1995. Nearly all of the files relate to the Committee, and contain extensive correspondence with other committee members and the executive of the Press, including commentary on policy decisions, including manuscripts being considered for publication.

Dr. Friedland has also sat on the board of directors of the Osgoode Society, which promotes the writing of legal history. The five files relating to this society consist principally of memoranda, minutes and supporting documentation and there are few annotations and notes. The original material consists primarily of Dr. Friedland’s 1999 oral history interview conducted as a part of the Society’s Chief Justice Bora Laskin Project and his file on the Society’s twentieth anniversary symposium in June 1999, “History goes to Court”, where he chaired the panel on ‘Other leading cases’.

Dr. Friedland was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1983 (the files relating to his activities prior to 1997 are located in accession B1998-0006). In 1997 and 1999 he chaired the Innis-Gérin Medal selection committee. In 1997 he became a member of the nominating committee of Academy II (Humanities and Social Sciences) of the Royal Society of Canada and in 1998 was elected to the Council of Academy II for a three-year term. These activities, and his involvement in the 1999 RSC symposium in Edmonton, are documented here.

In October 2000 Dr. Friedland went to Beijing for ten days to discuss with Chinese judges issues relating to judicial independence. This project consisted of a series of seminars in Canada-China’s Senior Judges Training program sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency and held at the National Judges College of China. Three different seminars were held – one on ‘judicial ethics’ in October (in which Dr. Friedland participated) and two in November on ‘judicial review’ and ‘case management’. The correspondence, notes, and reports relating to the project are contained in these files, along with drafts, in Chinese, of the published version of Dr. Friedland’s study on judicial independence, A place apart.

The remaining files in the series document a number Dr. Friedland’s other activities between 1995 and 2002. Included are a few addresses, some of his travels, and his membership in or association with a number of professional organizations such as the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and the Law Commission of Canada. Dr. Friedland was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in 1990 and awarded the Canada Council’s Molson Prize for ‘outstanding achievements and exceptional contribution to the enrichment of the cultural life of Canada’ in 1995. The files on the Molson Seminar and the Order of Canada reflect his ongoing responsibilities as a recipient of these awards. The last of the files document his continuing involvement in activities and issues at the University of Toronto, ranging from the Centre for International Studies’ program on conflict management to the Sports Hall of Fame selection committee.

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