Law Society of Upper Canada unlikely to win the Allard Prize for International Integrity

Allard Prize Integrity

by Donald Best

by Donald Best

Lawyers have significant influence in the shaping, drafting and enforcement of policies and legislation that protect critical checks and balances necessary for a healthy society.

But who regulates and oversees the lawyers? And what happens to a society if lawyers abandon ethics and societal accountability in the pursuit of money? What happens if greed, not justice and truth, becomes the primary motivation of lawyers?

Such has been our confidence in the legal profession that, to this time, Canadians have allowed lawyers to regulate and discipline themselves without independent civilian oversight, public accountability or any real transparency. That willingness of Canadians to allow lawyers to self-regulate is changing with revelation after revelation of serious wrongdoing by lawyers and coverups by governing legal bodies.

In Ontario, the Law Society of Upper Canada has time and time again covered up or ignored criminal activities by lawyers; especially if the lawyers are associated with any of Canada’s largest law firms. The recent ‘Broken Trust‘ series of articles in the Toronto Star looks into why over 80% of Ontario lawyers who commit serious criminal offences in relation to their law practice never face criminal sanctions.

My own case (‘Donald Best v. Gerald Ranking et al’. Superior Court of Justice, Central East Region: Barrie, Court File No. 14-0815) is just one of many where Law Society of Upper Canada ignored and covered up solid evidence of criminal wrongdoing by Ontario lawyers and protected members of ‘the club’.

Evidence filed in Best vs Ranking shows that members of the large law firm club receive unhealthy deference from the Law Society of Upper Canada and other regulators in matters of misconduct and discipline.

In my case, the Law Society of Upper Canada ignored and covered up evidence of serious criminal offences by lawyers from large law firms. The law society also refused to assist me, an unrepresented litigant, to find legal counsel in a special situation where the vast majority of lawyers were too intimidated and frightened to represent me before the courts.  

Over 100 Ontario lawyers declined to represent me because to do so they would have had to present to the courts; voice recordings and other irrefutable evidence that lawyers from some of Canada’s largest law firms committed criminal offences, threatened witnesses, fabricated evidence, knowingly represented a phoney client, obstructed justice and lied to the courts. Virtually all of the lawyers who refused to represent me, nonetheless expressed their sympathies and wished me well. Many explained in a very forthright manner that to take on large law firms with such solid evidence would probably damage their professional careers.

If the Law Society of Upper Canada or any of the involved lawyers and large law firms wish to dispute anything published at DonaldBest.CA, I will publish their responses unedited and without comment here on my web site, or (of course) they can sue me.

Let’s put all the evidence to a jury of ordinary Canadians and see what happens when they listen to the voice recordings that prove lawyers Gerald Ranking and Lorne Silver fabricated evidence and lied to the courts, shall we?

2015 Allard Prize for International Integrity

The Allard Prize for International Integrity is one of the world’s largest prizes dedicated to the fight against corruption and protecting human rights.

Established and funded by Mr. Peter A. Allard, Q.C., the CDN$100,000 prize is awarded every two years to an individual, movement or organization that has demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in combating corruption, especially through promoting transparency, accountability and the Rule of Law. The Allard Prize is administered by the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia.

This year, after a comprehensive review process, the following four finalists were selected from 146 nominations received, representing 53 countries from around the world.

John Githongo

Former journalist and government-employed corruption fighter from Kenya, Githongo risked his life and career to expose one of the biggest government corruption scandals in the country’s history, and subsequently has led grassroots advocacy efforts aimed at creating and mobilizing an informed citizenry against corruption and injustice.

Indonesia Corruption Watch

A research and evidence-based advocacy group, Indonesia Corruption Watch is according to the United Nations, Indonesia’s leading organization focused on fighting corruption. It has been successful in bringing numerous cases of political and judicial corruption to the forefront.

Sergei Magnitsky

After uncovering a large-scale government tax fraud in Russia, Magnitsky, an accountant and auditor, was arrested and held in custody for 11 months without trial. His subsequent in-prison death brought international attention to human rights violations and corruption in his home country.

Rafael Marques de Morais

This Angola-based human rights activist and journalist has, at great personal risk and cost, dedicated his career to raising public awareness of government corruption, conflict diamonds, army brutality and corruption in the oil industry.

Note: Some of the above information regarding the Allard Prize for International Integrity was copied directly from the Allard Prize website.

Disclaimer

None of the allegations has yet been proven in a court of law. Visitors to this website are encouraged to examine the legal documents and other evidence posted here and to make up their own minds about the civil lawsuit known as ‘Donald Best v. Gerald Ranking et al’. (Superior Court of Justice, Central East Region: Barrie, Court File No. 14-0815)

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