Jim Matkin
Occupation(s)former: Law professor, Deputy Minister, President & CEO of Business Council of BC, former Executive Director of Law Society of BC
SpouseCheri
ChildrenThree daughters[1]

James G. Matkin, QC (born 1942) is a former British Columbia, Canada deputy minister of labour and of intergovernmental relations, former President and CEO of the Business Council of British Columbia, and a former British Columbia Law Society secretary and executive director. He led drafting of the Labour Code Of B.C. in 1973, and legislation for the first human rights code of BC, floated the Non Obstante clause compromise that was adopted in the Canadian Constitution and Charter of Rights in 1981, and is credited with "cleaning up" the Vancouver stock exchange through his one-man commission of enquiry. He studied law and economics at Harvard as a Frank Knox Fellow graduated with an LL.M. in 1969. He is a self-proclaimed "most viewed writer" in climatology and carbon emissions in Quora.[2] He is one of the editors of Academia.edu and active with posts on negotiation and climate.[3]

Early life

Originally from Alberta,[4] He obtained his bachelor's and master's (law) degrees from University of Alberta and a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School[5][6] and became a law clerk in 1970 to Supreme Court of Canada Justice, Ronald Martland and an assistant professor of law at the University of British Columbia.[7]

Professional life

While a University of British Columbia law faculty member, he was invited to be part of a government-appointed Committee of Special Advisors assembled to draft legislation which became the Labour Code of British Columbia Act of 1973.[8]

At age 30, he became deputy minister of labor in British Columbia. He was then the youngest deputy minister in the history of BC.[9] From 1981 he was Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Relations.[10] He left the bureaucracy July 1, 1983, with the congratulations of Honorable Garde Gardom: " Mr. Matkin has performed long and in a most dedicated fashion, under two different administrations, always in the interests of the general public of our province. He's been a dedicated public servant."[1]

Non Obstante Clause

Matkin's associate, Paul C. Weiler, a former BC Labour Relations Board head, had written a McGill Law Journal paper that recommended a Non Obstante Clause be inserted[11] in the Canadian constitution. This would allow a Canadian province to "opt out" of portions of the new constitution. Matkin's staff altered a "no author text" to include this concept.[12] The "no author text" (or a document with no author named) was circulated at a constitutional conference attended by Canadian first ministers and their staff. This clause bears close resemblance to the Notwithstanding clause that ultimately became an ingredient in the Kitchen Accord among most Canadian provinces and the federal government of Canada.

Later career

"From 1983-93, he served as President and CEO of the B.C. Business Council...."[13] He was also a director of the Bank of Canada, serving from 1992 to 1995.[5] In 1996, Matkin was chosen to head a commission to oversee the reduction in size of the British Columbia fishing fleet.[14]

Matkin was a committee of one who investigated and in 2004 "denounced" the Vancouver Stock Exchange "as a breeding ground for swindles and laid the blame at the feet of the B.C. Securities Commission".

"...[H]is report served as an official wake-up call. The exchange began blackballing miscreant promoters, then merged with the Alberta Stock Exchange to form the Canadian Venture Exchange, and was later acquired by the more respectable Toronto Stock Exchange, resulting in the TSX Venture Exchange."[15]

Resignation from BC Law Society

He was the executive director of the BC Law Society from 1998 to 2004.[16]

On December 6, 2004, Matkin resigned. This came in response to concerns raised at the society that he had become involved with a junior company with two alleged stock offenders. "Matkin denied any improper conduct. He argued that [alleged offenders] Gujral and Alexander had learned from their mistakes and deserved a second chance. He also said he sought and obtained assurances that Alexander would not promote the company's shares, only the technology."[17] "There has never been any suggestion that Matkin did anything illegal. The issue is simply whether it was appropriate for him to be dealing with a company associated with Gujral and Alexander."[17]

The then-president of the Canadian Bar Association, British Columbia branch, expressed regret that an enquiry did not occur due to Matkin's resignation. "I dare say it would have assisted all to know whether the Executive Director, given the leadership role inherent in this position, is expected to meet an elevated ethical standard, and if so, what that standard entails .... [T]his [resignation] represents the loss of an important opportunity for the Benchers to articulate, for the profession generally and for the previous and next incumbent, the standards expected of the individual appointed to this key position in the organization."[18]

The BC Law Society dismissed a complaint of impropriety filed December 31, 2004, by a lawyer.[19]

Legacy

Matkin's legacy includes the BC Labour Relations board and legislation, changes to the Vancouver Stock Exchange,[20] and the first human rights code in BC.

In later life, Matkin has turned to producing self-published opinion pieces on climatology via Academia.edu, articulating his position of climate change denial, his belief in the Global warming conspiracy theory,[21] and criticizing political and economic reforms aimed at avoiding or mitigating anthropogenic climate change, which he attributes to the political left.[22] These articles consist mainly of articles written by other climate change deniers and republished with additional commentary by Matkin.[23]

Publications

  • James G. Matkin "Why the Notwithstanding Clause Saved the Charter"[24]
  • James G. Matkin, Principled Bargaining (Softcover, Industrial Relations Centre, Queen's University at Kingston), ISBN 0888861281 (0-88886-128-1) [25]
  • James G. Matkin, D. Geoffrey Cowper, Restructuring for the Future: Towards a Fairer Venture Market the Report of the Vancouver Stock Exchange & Securities Regulation Commission[26]
  • James G. Matkin, "Government Intervention in Labour Disputes in British Columbia." (1975)[27]
  • James G. Matkin, Clive Cocking, "A weak federal government getting weaker"[28]
  • James G. Matkin,"The Future of Industrial Relations in Canada."[29]
  • James Matkin, Book Review, "The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam From the Extremists," by Abou El Fadl[30]

Categories

References

  1. 1 2 "Transcript". www.leg.bc.ca. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  2. ↑ "Is global warming catastrophic?". Quora.
  3. ↑ Matkin, James G. "GETTING TO YES by Fisher and Ury - free PDF - My negotiation case disputes in environment, labor, international investment and constitutional reform added. Select material from Law Profressor Charles B. Carver NEGOTIATION PROCESS added". www.academia.edu.
  4. ↑ Richard E. Bennett, "Canada: From Struggling Seed, the Church Has Risen to Branching Maple", Ensign, Sept. 1988, p.30
  5. 1 2 "People: Hydrogen Power Inc (HYDP.PK) accessed 3 April 2011". Reuters.
  6. ↑ David Baines, "The former executive director who quit Dec. 6 will receive a total of $291,700"Archived 2011-01-25 at the Wayback Machine , Vancouver Sun, 6 Jan 2005, accessed 3 April 2011
  7. ↑ Lane Johnson, "A Dominion of Saints", Ensign, Sept. 1988, p.38
  8. ↑ Alan R.F.J. Artibise, '"A Worthy, if Unlikely Enterprise:" The Labour Relations Board and the Evolution of Labour Policy and Practice in British Columbia, 1973-1980', BC Studies, Number 56, Winter 1982-3, pp.9-10
  9. ↑ Lane Johnson, "A Dominion of Saints", Ensign, Sept. 1988, p.38
  10. ↑ Alan R.F.J. Artibise, '"A Worthy, if Unlikely Enterprise:" The Labour Relations Board and the Evolution of Labour Policy and Practice in British Columbia, 1973-1980', BC Studies, Number 56, Winter 1982-3, p.10, Footnote
  11. ↑ Paul Weiler, "Acceptance speech of the Bora Laskin Award..." Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine, Lancaster House Labour Law On-line (website), May 5, 2005, accessed 2 April 2011
  12. ↑ Bob Plecas, Bill Bennett - A Mandarin's View, pp. 160-1
  13. ↑ Law Society of British Columbia, ["Matkin Joins Law Society as new Secretary"], Benchers' Bulletin, 1997; No.5 September - October. Archived 2010-12-17 at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ↑ Canada, Senate of (July 22, 2016). "Senate of Canada - Debates". Senate of Canada.
  15. ↑ "Derrick Penner, "Our business: 10 significant people, enterprises or events - 4) VANCOUVER STOCK EXCHANGE", Vancouver Sun, April 1, 2011". Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  16. ↑ David Baines, "Trials and Tribulations of the BC Law Society"Archived 2012-11-21 at the Wayback Machine , Saturday, Apr. 2, 2011, accessed 2 April 2011
  17. 1 2 David Baines, "The former executive director who quit Dec. 6 will receive a total of $291,700" Archived 2011-01-25 at the Wayback Machine , Vancouver Sun, 6 Jan 2005, accessed 3 April 2011
  18. ↑ Michael C. Woodward, "From the President - Going Forward"Archived 2013-04-24 at the Wayback Machine, Bartalk, Canadian Bar Association, British Columbia Branch, February 2005
  19. ↑ "Law Society concludes investigation of complaint against James G. Matkin" Archived 2011-03-23 at the Wayback Machine, Press Release, April 21, 2005, accessed 2 April 2011
  20. ↑ "Derrick Penner, "Our business: 10 significant people, enterprises or events - 4) VANCOUVER STOCK EXCHANGE" Vancouver Sun, April 1, 2011". Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  21. ↑ Matkin, J. G. "Trump Climate Panel Could Expose Huge Fraud, Hence the Hysteria. Is global warming a hoax?"
  22. ↑ James Matkin harvard.academia.edu
  23. ↑ e.g., Matkin, J. G., ""Hubris: The Troubling Science, Economics, and Politics of Climate Change," by Michael Hart, Chapter One here - interview by Margaret Wente of Globe and Mail, my comment."
  24. ↑ Litigating the Values of a Nation: The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Weiler and Elliot, Carsell 1986/
  25. ↑ Bookfinder
  26. ↑ Interim report llbc.leg.bc.ca
  27. ↑ "Transcript". www.leg.bc.ca. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  28. ↑ "A weak federal government, getting weaker". 18 October 2013.
  29. ↑ Canadian Public Policy / Analyse de Politique Vol. 12, Feb., 1986
  30. ↑ "The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists". foreignaffairs.com. 28 January 2009.
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