Who is he?
Paul Champ is an Ottawa-based litigation lawyer focusing on labour, human rights and constitutional law. He is the principal lawyer for the Ottawa-based law firm Champ and Associates.
What’s his background?
Based in Ottawa, Champ was born and raised in Regina, Sask. After working as a Crown prosecutor for the Saskatchewan Department of Justice, Champ received a master’s in law from McGill University. In 2008, he founded Champ & Associates. Since then, he’s taken on high-profile cases focusing on human rights and public interest law. Champ has represented and consulted for several international organizations, such as Amnesty International, the Council of Canadians with Disabilities and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association.
What is he known for in Ottawa?
Paul Champ is widely known for representing Ottawa small businesses and residents in an $300-million class-action lawsuit against the 2022 “Freedom Convoy” organizers. In an interview with the Ottawa Business Journal, Champ said he initially felt conflicted about taking the case against the convoy but felt the protest became increasingly disruptive as time went on. “The demonstrators were terrorizing the public,” he told the Business Journal. Champ and several other lawyers at his firm began working on dismantling the protest in February 2022 helping file the first injunction to end the occupation in downtown Ottawa.
Additionally, Champ is known for his work regarding the Afghan Detainee issue — in which the Canadian military was accused of knowing that detainees it handed over to the Afghan National Army would likely be tortured. He also worked toward the release of Canadian teen Omar Khadr, the youngest prisoner held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay.
What do people say about him?
In 2013, the International Commission of Jurists Canada awarded him the Walter S. Tarnopolsky Award for his contribution to the field of human rights, stating online that his career demonstrated his “commitment to the protection of civil liberties and fundamental human rights.”
Lydia Dobson, an associate lawyer at Champ’s firm, echoed this sentiment. “He takes on a lot of the difficult cases that other people might be more hesitant to work with,” She said. “He’s not afraid of challenging the status quo.”
What’s something people don’t know about him?
Despite Champ’s reputation as a high-profile litigator, the proud father of three initially studied journalism at Carleton University before pursuing law.
