Thomas R. Berger, the chairman of the 1975-1977 Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry, gave a keynote address at the recent Arctic Gas Symposium sharing his unique perspective on  northern energy developments.

Thomas R. Berger Berger & Company

THOMAS R. BERGER was counsel for the Nisga’a Nation of B.C. in a case which the Supreme Court of Canada recognized the place of Aboriginal rights in Canadian law. While serving on the Supreme Court of British Columbia, he headed the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry. His report on the inquiry - Northern Frontier, Northern Homeland - was published in 1977. His public intervention in 1981 was instrumental in the inclusion of Aboriginal and treaty rights in the new Canadian Constitution. After resigning from the bench in 1983, Mr. Berger led the Alaska Native Review Commission, taught at the University of British Columbia, practised law in Vancouver, and served as vice-chairman of a World Bank inquiry. He has written several books, including Fragile Freedoms, A Long and Terrible Shadow, and One Man’s Justice. Mr. Berger holds honorary degrees from 14 universities, and has received the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia.