Born and raised on a wheat farm in Gravelbourg, one of the few French towns in Saskatchewan, Rick studied political science as an undergraduate at the University of Saskatchewan and law at Queen’s University in Kingston. Since then, Rick has built the largest union-side labour law firm in Saskatchewan, where he is held in high regard, not only by unions, but despite his adversarial role as a union-side lawyer, by employers and employer counsel.
Rick’s record of mentoring union-side lawyers is proverbial, as is his readiness to instruct the profession through educational seminars. Less well known is, as Justice Crystal Norbeck has written, “Rick’s passion for protecting and advancing human rights in his work in addictions and mental health.”
Besides acting as an advocate in the field of human rights, Rick has been a key player in the development of labour law in Saskatchewan and across Canada. His impact on the evolution of the Charter of Rights cannot be overstated. In the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour case, Rick led the team of lawyers who persuaded the Supreme Court of Canada to establish the right to strike as an essential element of freedom of association under the Charter. No case has had a more significant and lasting effect on the rights of workers in the history of this country.
