Edward McWhinney, Q.C.

On May 19, 2015, Canada lost one of her great constitutional scholars. Edward (“Ted”) McWhinney, Queen’s Counsel, former Liberal Member of Parliament for Vancouver Quadra, and constitutional and international law expert passed away on his 91st birthday. Ted McWhinney was born in New South Wales, and then educated first in Australia and later at Yale where he obtained his doctorate in constitutional and international law. Along the way, Canada became the lucky beneficiary of this citizen of the world who made Canada his home and eventually his nationality. He was fluent in English, French, German and Russian, and authored 24 books, three of which were in French or German, and countless papers of distinction. He was the first Canadian to be elected to the Institut du droit international based in Geneva and was actually that Institut’s president from 1999-2001. He ended his career as a university professor as a professor emeritus with Simon Fraser University. His full obituary was published in the Province. Thank you, Ted McWhinney, for your contributions to Canada and to the world. We are all richer because of your brilliance and your life’s work.

I remain

Constitutionally yours

Arthur Grant