Abbreviated Curriculum Vitae

Rory Leishman is a journalist and author of Against Judicial Activism: The Decline of Freedom and Democracy in Canada (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2006). He was born and raised in Indian Point, Burlington, Ontario. He holds an Honours BA in Political Studies and Economics from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. He also did graduate work in political studies at Queen's and in the Graduate College at Princeton University.

In 1970, Leishman joined the Department of Political Science at the University of Western Ontario, where he taught courses on Canadian federalism, Quebec politics and introductory political theory. From time to time, he has also conducted a seminar on development economics and reporting in the Graduate School of Journalism at Western.

From 1975 to 1995, Leishman served as an editorial writer and national affairs columnist for The London Free Press. Now employed as a freelancer, he has recently published articles in a variety of other outlets including The National Post, Catholic Insight, The Interim, C2C and Mercatornet.

In 1997, Leishman was honoured to receive the annual William Kurelek Award from Alliance for Life, ``in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the development of respect and appreciation for the dignity and worth of human life." And in 2000, he was the recipient of the Furedy Academic Freedom Award from the Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship for “speaking out emphatically against a subtle current of conformity” that undermines “freedom of research and scholarship, and standards of excellence for students and faculty.”

Leishman is happily married to a charming Nederlander, Caroline (Plomp) Leishman. They reside in London, Ontario, and attend St. George’s Anglican Church.