Dugald Christie
Encyclopedia
Dugald Christie was a Canadian
lawyer and political activist. He was based out of the city of Vancouver
. He was the grandson of Dr Dugald Christie (Christie of Mukden) - a Scottish Presbyterian missionary doctor who founded the Mukden Medical College
in Shenyang, China.
Christie began his political activities in 1991 when he began to offer free legal service to low-income people in Vancouver. As the head of the Western Canada Society to Access Justice he was instrumental in setting up numerous pro-bono clinics across western Canada. He charged extremely low fees, and his net income in the years 1991 to 1999 did not exceed $30,000 per year.
Christie is most noteworthy for a 2005 court challenge of a British Columbia
law that extended provincial sales tax to legal services. Christie argued that the law unjustly infringed on the constitutionally-protected rights of low income people to access the justice system. He met with partial success at the Court of Appeal, but a further appeal at the Supreme Court of Canada
overturned the lower court's decision on May 25, 2007.
In 2006 Christie began an effort to bicycle across Canada in order to raise awareness of the shortcomings of legal assistance programs in Canada. On July 31, 2006 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
, Christie was killed when he was hit by a van during his trip.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
lawyer and political activist. He was based out of the city of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. He was the grandson of Dr Dugald Christie (Christie of Mukden) - a Scottish Presbyterian missionary doctor who founded the Mukden Medical College
Mukden Medical College
Mukden Medical College was a medical school in Mukden , China, founded in 1892 as the Shenching Medical School....
in Shenyang, China.
Christie began his political activities in 1991 when he began to offer free legal service to low-income people in Vancouver. As the head of the Western Canada Society to Access Justice he was instrumental in setting up numerous pro-bono clinics across western Canada. He charged extremely low fees, and his net income in the years 1991 to 1999 did not exceed $30,000 per year.
Christie is most noteworthy for a 2005 court challenge of a British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
law that extended provincial sales tax to legal services. Christie argued that the law unjustly infringed on the constitutionally-protected rights of low income people to access the justice system. He met with partial success at the Court of Appeal, but a further appeal at the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
overturned the lower court's decision on May 25, 2007.
In 2006 Christie began an effort to bicycle across Canada in order to raise awareness of the shortcomings of legal assistance programs in Canada. On July 31, 2006 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...
, Christie was killed when he was hit by a van during his trip.