Michael Bryant

Executive director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Toronto

Currently the executive director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Michael Bryant has recently worked as duty counsel in Brampton, Ont. tasked with providing free legal service to accused in need of immediate legal assistance. Under Bryant’s leadership, the CCLA has had two significant wins at the Supreme Court recently. The CCLA recently intervened in R. v. Le, in which the court ruled in its favour, setting aside the conviction of a man found with a gun and drugs because the police had no legal authority to card Le and his friends in a private backyard. It also successfully intervened in Canada v. Chhina, in which the court extended the right of habeas corpus to immigration detainees. Bryant was the youngest attorney general of Ontario ever. He also served as minister of Aboriginal affairs, economic development and government house leader. He was also CEO of Invest Toronto, a municipal agency meant to attract investment to Toronto. Bryant is an author, having written two books about addiction.