The Honourable Sue Barnes received her B.A. (1974) and LL.B. (1977) from the University of Western Ontario and practiced law full time in London from 1979 to 1993. She served as a part-time legal member of the Ontario Criminal Review Board from 1986 to 1993. Sue has instructed and been a graduation speaker for the Law Society of Upper Canada Bar Admissions Program. Sue has also taught Business Law and Banking Law courses for Western’s Department of Part-Time and Continuing Education and was a visiting Fellow at the Faculty of Law.
Sue served five terms as Member of Parliament for London West from 1993 to 2008. She held a large variety of roles both in Government and as a member of the Official Opposition, including Chair of the Finance Committee of the House of Commons, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General with special emphasis on Judicial Transparency and Aboriginal Justice, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue. Critic posts included those of Public Health, Public Safety, Justice, and Canada Border Services.
While a parliamentarian, Sue was active in many parliamentary associations, and has served on the Federal and International Executives of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, and the Federal Executive of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Sue participated and presented at numerous workshops, seminars, and colloquia as an M.P. representing Canada. Sue is a recipient of The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and The International Alliance for Women 2009 World of Difference Award. Most recently Sue received the King Charles 111 medal.