Shawn Buckley

In private practice since 1995, Shawn Buckley practices extensively in the areas of criminal and regulatory law. His focus is on protecting Charter rights and testing the constitutional validity of legislation.

He has appeared in the Supreme Court of Canada, the British Columbia Court of Appeal, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the Federal Court Trial Division, and provincial courts in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario.

Mr. Buckley has developed expertise in Health Canada litigation and defending regulatory charges under the Food and Drugs Act in the area of natural health products. It is likely that he has defended more charges in this area than any other lawyer in Canada. Most of these cases involved a constitutional challenge.

Mr. Buckley has been called as an expert witness in the area of constitutional law and Food and Drugs Act regulation by committees in both the Senate and the House of Commons. He is routinely invited to lecture concerning the regulation of natural health products by diverse groups such as the Fraser Institute, practitioner groups, consumer groups, and the NHPPA. He was also invited to draft the Charter of Health Freedom.

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Buckley worked for the Ministry of Advanced Education Training & Technology, the BC Human Rights Council, the Intergovernmental Affairs Branch of the Premier’s Office (which at the time was non-partisan), and Transport Canada. These experiences in government have given him valuable insight in dealing with bureaucracy.

Click here for Shawn Buckley’s reported cases.