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45 Advocate (Vancouver) 671 (1987)
Fighting Joe Martin Comes to British Columbia

handle is hein.barjournals/advvba0045 and id is 671 raw text is: TheAdvocate 671 Fighting Joe Martin Comes to British Columbia by Gordon Hilliker* The history of the legal profession in this province is young but it is brimming with rich and colourful characters. Perhaps none is more colourful than the Hon. Joseph A. Martin, K.C., popularly known as Fighting Joe. I became interested in Joe Martin quite by accident. A number of volumes in our firm library still bear Martin's signature. He was, I learned in discussions with the late Hon. C. W Tysoe, one of the founders of the firm now known as Harper, Grey, Easton & Company. Over the past year I have endeavoured to learn more about Martin. My research, which has by no means been exhaustive, has taken me through libraries, archives, newspapers, Law Society records, and law reports. Fortunately, Martin has proved to be a thoroughly fascinating subject. A small, burly man with a fiery temper, as an advocate Martin was unrelenting, as a politician, uncompromising. He is perhaps the only person to hold the distinction of having been a member of four legislative bodies: Martin served as Attorney-General for Manitoba, Member of Parlia- ment for Canada, Attorney-General and later Premier of British Columbia, and a member of the House of Commons in Great Britain. 1. Arrival in B.C. Joseph Martin arrived in Vancouver on a blustery spring day in 1897. He was 45 years old and had left behind him a distinguished career in Manitoba. As Attorney- General for that province Martin had presided over one of the most controversial episodes in the history of this country - the Manitoba School Question. At issue was the right of French speaking Manitobans to have their own state-supported separate schools. Martin opposed them, and brought in legislation providing for a system of state-supported non-denominational schools. His opposition carried into the Courts. He appeared as counsel for the Province of Manitoba in the Supreme Court of Canada, though not in the Privy Council, where the validity of Martin's legislation was ultimately upheld.I Despite Martin's success, the wounds he recei; ed in the schools question left him a virtual outcast. Martin quit provincial politics and ran as a Liberal in the 1883 federal election, becoming the Member of Parliament for Winnipeg. Yet he became disen- chanted when Laurier would not make him a cabinet minister. Despite Martin's ability, he was obviously unacceptable to French Canadians. Thus, when Parliament dissolved in 1896 Martin did not seek a further term. Instead he settled in Brandon, ostensibly to practice law. His opponents, however, doubted his intentions, and to ensure that he stayed out of the way they arranged for the C.P.R. to offer Martin a position as counsel. Martin accepted and his new employer duly transferred him to the end of the line - Vancouver. * Mr. Hilliker is a partner in Harper, Grey, Easton & Company, Vancouver