Howard is one of Canada’s most prominent leaders with deep expertise in competition law and policy, securities regulation, energy regulation, and administrative law. He is a highly respected former public servant with a distinguished career as a lawyer, jurist, regulator, and executive. Howard served as a senior public servant, both federally and provincially, a federal court judge, and completed his parliamentary trifecta when he was appointed to the Upper Chamber as a Senator in 2016. He retired from the Senate in June of 2022.
Prior to his Senate appointment, Howard was head of Canada’s Competition Bureau from November 1989-1993 (a position now called Commissioner of Competition). Howard also served as the Chair and CEO of the Ontario Securities Commission from 2010 to 2015. Previously, he was the Chair & CEO of the Ontario Energy Board from 2003 to 2010 and was a Vice-Chair of the OSC from 1999 to 2004. Howard was granted the title “Honourable” after an exemplary six years as a Trial Judge at the Federal Court of Canada and Ex-officio Judge of its Appeal Division. In 2016, he was awarded the Order of Canada for his contributions as a leading public servant, jurist, and regulator. Howard spent the first 10 years of his career as a lawyer achieving the positions of General Counsel at the Canadian Transport Commission and Assistant General Counsel at the National Energy Board. He was also General Counsel and Program Director at the Consumers’ Association of Canada. Before that, he was a Crown Counsel in Nova Scotia and at the federal Department of Justice. Howard has worked in private practice in the joint office of a Montreal and Calgary firm and articled in private practice in Halifax. Howard is a Senior Fellow of the C.D. Howe Institute and a member of its Competition Policy Council. He is a long-standing member of the Patient Safety and Quality Committee at Sinai Health System. Howard is a member of the Board of Directors of Toronto Hydro Corporation and serves on the Advisory Council of Westcourt Capital Corporation. He holds an LL.B. from Dalhousie and a B.Sc. from Mount Allison and has been called to the Bar in Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Alberta. He holds the ID.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and honorary doctorate degrees from Cape Breton University and Dalhousie University. He is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2014, Howard received special recognition as a Board Diversity Champion from Catalyst Canada Honours. In September 2023, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ontario Energy Association.