1924–2018

— Roland Penner, former Manitoba attorney general and CAUT president, died May 31 at age 93. At 19, he joined the army and served in Europe during World War II in the Canadian artillery. After the war, Penner enrolled at the University of Manitoba, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree and an LL.B. He was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1961 and worked in private practice offering legal services in criminal law. In 1967, while still practicing law, he began teaching at the University of Manitoba and became a professor in 1972. From 1972 to 1978, he was the president of Legal Aid Manitoba, and from 1979 to 1980, he was president of CAUT. He was elected as an NDP member of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly in 1981, and served in the government of Howard Pawley as Attorney General until 1987. As Attorney General, Penner in­troduced human rights legislation in Manitoba, championing the inclusion of sexual orientation as a prohibited ground of discrimination. The Human Rights Code came into force in 1987, a ground-breaking achievement of which he was always justifiably proud. Following his career in cabinet, Penner returned to teaching at the University of Manitoba, and served as dean of law between 1989 and 1994. He retired from teaching in 2009. Penner’s lifetime of fighting for social justice and human rights earned him numerous awards and accolades, including the Order of Canada and the Order of Manitoba.