A lawyer, author and environmentalist, he is strongly committed to conservation, peace and disarmament. A legal advisor and volunteer with many non-governmental organizations, he is also a member of the Planning Council of the International Ocean Institute. First chair of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, he co-founded two charitable trusts that support marine research and education at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research. His sustained efforts to protect and to improve the environment and the human condition serve as an example to all Canadians.