Bio:

Wally Oppal is a Canadian lawyer, former judge and provincial politician, who is currently serving as the Chancellor of the Thompson Rivers University. He was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation.

In 2003, he was appointed to the British Columbia Court of Appeal, making him the second Indo-Canadian Attorney-General of British Columbia. In 2005, he was appointed as Attorney General of British Columbia and served as Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism until 2009.

Oppal was involved in many significant reforms of the justice system, including the establishment of Canada’s first community court to deal with chronic offenders, developing new Rules of Court in order to promote quicker resolution of disputes and developing new initiatives in dealing with violence against women. 

He is also known as the author of a report: The Independent Commission of Inquiry into Policing in British Columbia (commonly referred to as the Oppal Inquiry).

Oppal has dedicated his entire working life to the pursuit of social justice and community safety. He has been recognized with several awards like the Lawyer Helping Lawyer Award (2007) by Lawyers Assistance Program of B.C., and Honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of the Fraser Valley (2010).