Page 46 - ACTL Journal Fall24

his argument with a humorous story that
blended perfectly into his argument. Gord “could make a horse laugh,” Pfefferle reflects.
Gord has a tremendous sense of humor. He tells young lawyers at his firm to take their work seriously, but don’t take them- selves seriously.
Canada, like the United States, has a less than admirable history regarding the treatment of its native population (First Nations). As our Honorary Fellow, Former Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, explained, Canada First Nations children were forcibly taken from their homes and put in residen- tial schools run by the Catholic Church whose objective “was to ‘take the Indian out of the child,’ and thus solve what was referred to as the Indian problem. ‘Indianness’ was not to be tolerated; rather it must be eliminated.”
Not surprisingly, this practice brought heartache as well as mental health, alcohol and drug problems.
First Nations residential school survivors brought class actions. In 2001, Prime Minister Stephen Harper mandated the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development to negotiate a settlement between the First Nations survivors and the Catholic entities as well as other involved entities. The Canadian federal government set aside $1.9 billion for the survivors and their attorney fees.
Gord represented one of the class action lawyers when the Canadian gov- ernment balked at paying his $25 million fee. Gord also represented the Saskatchewan Catholic Church when the government sought reimburse- ment of settlement amounts it had paid to survivors.
Three federal court systems exist in Saskatchewan: the Provincial Court, the Court of King’s Bench, and the Court of Appeal. Historically, the Provincial Judges were paid less than the King’s Bench Judges. Years ago, the Provincial Judges retained Gord to secure more fair compensation from the govern- ment. He successfully represented the judges before the Provincial Court Commission (“Commission”) and today, the Provincial Judges receive ap- proximately 95% of the compensation of King’s Bench Judges. Brian Pfef- ferle, who sits on the Commission, describes Gord as “a judge’s lawyer.” But a judge’s lawyer with a sense of humor. Pfefferle recalls watching Gord make a Court of Appeals argument that involved a solemn issue. But Gord began
Gord has spent considerable time defend- ing class actions, various medical device manufacturers, and cell phone providers. In fact, Gord represented the Plaintiff-em- ployees in the first ever class action law- suit brought in Saskatchewan. The case involved the Saskatchewan Government allegedly mishandling retirement benefits.
Another significant case was his representa- tion of the Regina Police Pension Plan. The pension was severely underfunded. Gord brought an action against the actuaries and other responsible parties, securing a very favorable result for the Police Pension Plan. The Vancouver lawyer opposing Gord be- came one of Gord’s lifelong friends.
45
JOURNAL