Dan Hays is located in the Calgary office. He has been with the firm on a continuous basis since his call to the bar and has been active in different practice areas, most recently in corporate commercial and international operations. Mr. Hays remained a member of the firm after he was appointed to the Senate of Canada by Prime Minister Trudeau in 1984. Following his retirement from the Senate on June 30, 2007, he was appointed Chairman of the firm.
During his years of service in the Senate, Mr. Hays held a number of leadership positions and at different times served as chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, the Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources and the Special Committee on Senate Reform 2006.
As well, he served as President of the Liberal Party of Canada from 1994 to 1998. In 1999 he was appointed Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, and in 2001, Prime Minister Chrétien appointed him Speaker of the Senate, a position he continued to hold under Prime Minister Martin. Following the 2006 federal general election, he was appointed Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. On January 22 he was made a Privy Councillor by Prime Minister Harper.
Mr. Hays has been involved in the cattle industry since 1957 and continues to maintain a herd of Hays Converter cattle.
Publications
· "Updating Some Antiquated Constitutional Provisions Relating to the Senate," Canadian Parliamentary Review, 2009.
· "Reviving Conference Committees, Canadian Parliamentary Review," 2009.
· "A New Senate for Canada: A Two-Step Process for Moving Forward on Senate Reform," Canada West Foundation, September 2008.
· "Renewing the Senate of Canada: A Two-Phase Proposal," May 2007.
· "The Modern Senate of Canada: A Study in Functional Adaptability," June 2004.
Speaking engagements
· "Upstream Oil and Gas Opportunities in Latin America" (co-presenter,) Calgary, AB, September 2011.
Rankings and recognitions
Dan Hays is honoured to have received from the Emperor of Japan the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure for his work in promoting the Canada/Japan bi-lateral relationship, and to have been appointed Grand Officier of l'Ordre de la Pleiade on the recommendation of the Association parlementaire de la francophonie, and Officier de la Legion d'Honneur by the President of France.
Memberships and activities
· Canadian Bar Association
· Law Society of Alberta
· Canadian Tax Foundation
Directorships
· Honourary Colonel, The King's Own Calgary Regiment
· Past president, Canadian Hays Converter Association
· Past director, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
· Past director, Calgary District Foundation
· Past director, Calgary YMCA
· Member and past director, Rotary Club of Calgary
· Member of Board of Directors, Alliance Française of Calgary
· Member of Advisory Council, Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute