David Arnot’s legal career serving the people of Saskatchewan started in 1976.
Mr. Arnot became Chief Commissioner of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission in 2009. Previously, he worked as the federal Treaty Commissioner for the Province of Saskatchewan provincial court judge, a Crown prosecutor, and as Director General of Aboriginal Justice in the Department of Justice Canada. He is the former Chair of the Canadian Judges’ Forum of the Canadian Bar Association.
In 1993, as a judge with the Provincial Court of Saskatchewan, Mr. Arnot closely worked with the Poundmaker First Nation to pioneer the use of sentencing circles and restorative justice measures to promote healing in legal proceedings and give a voice to victims, community members, and families in the pursuit of constructive resolutions. In 2004, Mr. Arnot’s work on the “Teaching Treaties in the Classroom” project was recognized by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Racism.
Under Mr. Arnot’s leadership, the Office of the Treaty Commissioner, which raises public awareness of the importance of historical treaties in Saskatchewan, was selected by the Canadian Race Relations Foundation for its biennial Award of Excellence for education programs in the public and government sector. Mr. Arnot is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, the Distinguished Service Award from the Canadian Bar Association’s Saskatchewan Branch, the Miklos Kanitz Holocaust & Human Rights Award, and the University of Saskatchewan’s Canada 150 Nation Builders alumnus award. He was named CTV’s 2016 Saskatoon Citizen of the Year and was recognized as one of Canada’s top 150 Leaders and Innovators by the Transformation Institute for Leadership and Innovation in 2018.
Mr. Arnot holds a Juris Doctor from the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan.