Purdy Crawford

Purdy Crawford is Counsel to the law firm of Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, LLP. He is a native of Five Islands, Nova Scotia and received his undergraduate degree from Mount Allison University, his LL.B. from Dalhousie Law School and his LL.M. from Harvard Law School. He pursued his legal career with Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt practising primarily in the corporate/commercial area. He left Osler in 1985 to join Imasco as C.E.O., retiring in 1995 but continuing as non-executive Chairman of Imasco and Canada Trust until February 2000.

He sits on the boards of several Canadian companies. Mr. Crawford has been involved with many not-for-profit organizations over the years. He is Chancellor Emeritus of Mount Allison University. He is currently a member of the Foundation Board of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and is active in its current capital fund raising campaign. In 1996 he became an Officer of the Order of Canada and in July 2007 he was elevated to Companion of the Order of Canada. He also received the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education Friend of Education Award in 1996 for his dedication to the advancement of learning over the years and in 1995 was awarded the United Way Canada Volunteerism Award for outstanding contribution to Canadian Society. He was inducted into the Business Hall of Fame of Nova Scotia in 1997 and became a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors in 1999. In 2000 he was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame and named Ivey Business Leader of the Year. In April 2003, he became one of the five 2002 Public Policy Forum Honourees and in October he was named as The Conference Board of Canada’s 2003 Honorary Associate. In 2007 he received the Yee Hong Golden Achievement Award and was honoured as a Champion of Public Education by The Learning Partnership. He was Chairman of the Securities Industry Committee on Analyst Standards and the Five-Year Review Advisory Committee under The Securities Act of Ontario. In 2006 he chaired a National Panel with respect to a Single Securities Regulator in Canada and recently chaired a Pan Canadian Committee to oversee the successful restructuring of $32 billion of non-bank Canadian Asset Backed Commercial Paper.