Mrs. Grant and I were saddened to learn of the death of The Honourable Lorne O. Clarke, OC, ONS, former Chief Justice of Nova Scotia and Chief Justice of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal.

A native of Nova Scotia, Chief Justice Clarke had a distinguished career in the legal profession. He was a law professor at Dalhousie University and went on to be a renowned practitioner in labour-management relations as a negotiator, conciliator and arbitrator. While a judge, he served as chair of several committees and in executive positions of the Canadian Judges Conference. His law career culminated in his appointment as the province’s 20th Chief Justice and also as Chief Justice of the appeal division of the Supreme Court (now known as the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal). As Chief Justice he also served as the Administrator of the Province. His trail-blazing contributions to the judiciary on a provincial and national basis were significant.

Chief Justice Clarke will also be remembered for his chairmanship of the Swissair Flight 111 Memorial Secretariat that resulted in the creation of a fitting memorial to that tragedy. In honour of his outstanding contributions to Nova Scotia and Canada, Chief Justice Clarke was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1999 and to the Order of Nova Scotia in 2002.

Mrs. Grant and I extend our sincere condolences to Lorne Clarke’s family and friends on their loss.

Brigadier-General The Hon. J.J. Grant, CMM, ONS, CD (Ret’d)
Lieutenant Governor