Iain T. Benson

He has lectured across Canada, the United States, Europe, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. At the invitation of the Canadian Bar Association Iain gave a paper to the 2006 National Conference on "Religion and the State." His work on "secular" and "secularism" has been cited with approval by the Supreme Court of Canada and the Constitutional Court of South Africa and his writings have appeared in national and local papers and he has been interviewed on most major Canadian Broadcasting Corporation programs.

Over the past two years he has been part of the Steering Committee of a working group meeting with religious leaders and NGO's drafting the South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms.

He was one of two people retained (Fall, 2007) by the Policy Research Initiative (an internal Federal Government "think-tank") looking at federal Multi-culturalism policy to write a background "think-piece" on "Religion and Public Policy." That work, Taking a Fresh Look at Religion and Public Policy in Canada: The Need for a Paradigm Shift was submitted in January 2008.

He has recently been appointed to the Founding Board of the Global Centre for Pluralism, Ottawa, Canada. Under the Chairmanship of HH the Aga Khan he will serve with eleven others including Kofi Annan (former Gen. Sec'y of the U.N.), Adrienne Clarkson (former Governor General of Canada), Professor Azim Nanji (Stanford and Director of the Program of Islamic Studies) and Professor Yash Pal Ghai ( University of Hong Kong and Constitutional Expert). This joint project of the Government of Canada and the Aga Khan Development Network will develop strategic initiatives designed to increase understanding of the principles of pluralism within and between nations.

Mr. Benson is a keen squash player, cyclist and skier. He is married and the proud father of seven children.

Professional Achievements

· Research and Policy Consultant to the Canadian Federal Government Industrial Inquiry Commission (West Coast Ports, 1995)

· Extraordinary Professor, Faculty of Law, Department of Constitutional Law and Department of the Philosophy of Law, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa (2009-ongoing)

· Consultant of the Policy Research Initiative (Federal Government of Canada) (2007-2008)

· Research Associate, South African Institute for Advanced Constitutional, Human Rights, Public and International law (SAIFAC), Johannesburg, South Africa (2008-present)

· Senior Research Fellow, Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life, University of Alberta (2009 ongoing)

· Expert Advisor to the South African Council for Religious Freedoms (2010 ongoing)

Directorships

· Director, Founding Board of the Global Centre for Pluralism, Ottawa, Canada (Chairman, HH the Aga Khan) (2010 - present)

· Executive Director, Centre for Cultural Renewal, Ottawa (1994 -2009)

Community Involvement

· Drafting Committee for the South African Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms (2008 - 2010)

· Works on the Order of Malta - Yearly Pilgrimage of the Sick to Lourdes, France

Memberships

· Canadian Bar Association

· Law Society of British Columbia

· Law Society of Upper Canada

· Continuity Committee, drafting Charter of Religious Rights and Freedoms under Section 234 of the South African Constitution

· International Association for Constitutional Law (2010, ongoing)

Published Works

· Living Together with Disagreement: Pluralism, the Secular, and the Fair Treatment of Beliefs in Canada Today, Crosscurrents - Contemporary Political Issues - 7th Edition, 2012

· Book Review of "The Seal of Confession and Canadian Law" by Gregory J. Zubacz, (2011) 45:2 Stud Canon 547

Publications

· Creed, Freedom of Religion and Human Rights, Canadian Diversity, 2012

· Two Errors in Relation to Respecting Religious Rights: Driving a Wedge Between Religion and Ethics/Morals and Treating All Kinds of Religious Employers the Same, Canadian Diversity, 2012

· Deux Erreurs en Relation Avec le Repect des Droits Religieux : Dresser un Mur Entre la Religion et l'Éthique/la Morale et Traiter Tous les Types d'employeurs Religieux de la Même Façon, Diversité Canadienne, 2012

· Expanding Constitutional "Dialogue", Bar Talk, 2011

· Unexamined Faiths and the Public Place of Religion: Emerging Insights From the Law, Acta Theologica, 2011

· What can be Learned from the Experiences of Various Societies in Dealing with their Principal Trouble Spots?, Pontifical Academy, 2011

· That False Struggle between Believers and Non-believers, Oasis, 2010

· Re-understanding the Public Sphere and the Fair Treatment of Beliefs in Canada, Canadian Diversity, 2010

· BC Court of Appeal Upholds Right of Anglican Diocese to Retain Church Property From Dissident Parishes, Charities and Not-for-Profit Newsletter, November 2010

· Why 'public' should not mean 'atheist', Ottawa Citizen, 2010

· Court's decision important for Canadian religious freedom, ChristianWeek, 2010

· Ontario Divisional Court Releases Important Decision for Religious Employers, Charities and Not-for-Profit Newsletter, June 2010

· Is Canada Moving Towards or Away From Religious Inclusivity In The Public Sphere?, Paper presented to the "Religion in the Public Square in Canada" Conference, Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, Vatican City, 2010

· Church Property Ownership Debate Sparked by Dispute Over Doctrine of the Anglican Church, Charities and Not-for-Profit Newsletter, January 2010

· Religious rights are not just about individualism, 2009

· The Case for Religious Inclusivism and the Judicial Recognition of Associational Rights: A Response to Lenta, 2009

· Physicians and Marriage Commissioners: Accomodation of Differing Beliefs in a Free and Democratic Society, 2008

· Taking a Fresh Look at Religion and Public Policy in Canada The Need for a Paradigm Shift, 2008

· Do "values" mean anything at all? Implications for law, education and society, 2008

· The Freedom of Conscience and Religion in Canada: Challenges and Opportunities, 2007

· The Jurisdiction of Science: What the Evolution/Creation Debate is Not About, 2007

· Considering Secularism, 2004

· Notes Towards a (Re)Definition of the "Secular", 2000

Industry Expertise

Education Law

Charities and Not-for-Profit

Areas of Focus

Ecclesiastical Law

Constitutional Law

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms