Andrew Irvine, an associate professor of Philosophy at UBC and B.C. Civil Liberties Association director is the new president of the civil rights group. He was elected by the BCCLA Board at its May meeting.

Joining professor Irvine as officers of the BCCLA are Craig Jones as vice president, John Dixon as secretary and John Cox as treasurer.

Irvine takes over the reins from Kay Stockholder, who has led the BCCLA for the past three years. “Kay has been a wonderful president,” he said, “By her dedication to the cause of protecting democratic rights and freedoms, her boundless energy and the forceful expression of her views in the public forum, Kay Stockholder set a standard which will be difficult to match.”

He added, “I hope to harness the outstanding talents and commitment of my fellow Board members and our staff in carrying on the defence of our fragile democratic rights and freedoms.”

Irvine received his B.A. from the University of Saskatchewan, an M.A. from the University of Western Ontario, and a Ph.D. From the University of Sydney. He has taught at the University of Toronto, and was a Visting Fellow at the University of Pittsburg and at Stanford University. His research interests are in political theory and the philosophy of mathematics. He is also a recognized authority on the British philosopher Bertrand Russell. Along with John Russell, a colleague and fellow member of the BCCLA Board, Andrew is a regular contributor to the Vancouver Sun with articles on current political and public policy topics.