Background
The Honourable Gar Knutson is counsel at our Ottawa office. Gar was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1985. He graduated from the University of Windsor Law School in 1981 and then received a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario in 1983.
Areas of Practice
· Gar practises exclusively in the area of Government Relations both in Ottawa and internationally.
· He is the Ottawa Regional Manager of the Government Relations Group.
Professional Experience
· In December of 2003, Gar was appointed by Prime Minister Paul Martin as Minister of State for International Trade for New and Emerging Markets. His area of priority was to promote trade and investments with India, China and Brazil. During this period, Gar traveled extensively including trips to India, China and Brazil as well as a trade mission to Central America.
· Through the years 2002 and 2003, Gar served as a Secretary of State in the government of the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien. Gar's responsibilities included Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. His primary role was to represent Canada abroad in the form of trade missions as well as political missions at a ministerial level. He visited a number of countries in Central Asia making the transition from the old Soviet Republic to independent sovereign states. He worked extensively in the Gulf region promoting trade and investment in such sectors as oil and gas, infrastructure, education, health care and others. Other countries where Gar has been involved in promoting trade and investment include Turkey, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Croatia, Russia and the Ukraine.
· Gar was first elected to the Parliament of Canada in October of 1993. He served on a number of committees including Environment and Sustainable Development, Justice, Public Accounts, and Citizenship and Immigration.
· Gar has repeatedly been listed in "The Top 100 Lobbyists 2011" of The Hill Times.
Professional and Community Activities
· Member of Parliament for the riding of Elgin-Middlesex-London from 1993 to 2004
· Member of Cabinet from January 2002 to June 2004
· Member of the Board of Directors of the St. Thomas Credit Union from 1988 to 1991
· Member of the Board of Directors of the Elgin County Children's Aid Society from 1990 to 1993
· Member of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies from 1991 to 1993
· Part-time teacher at Fanshawe Community College from 1986 to 1990 - courses taught included Economics and Introduction to Management