Derek Lee
Counsel | Former MP
Derek Lee serves as Counsel to Sun & Partners Professional Corporation, bringing a distinguished career spanning law, public service, parliamentary governance, national security, and regulatory affairs.
Called to the Bar of Ontario in 1975, Mr. Lee practiced corporate, commercial, and real estate law in Toronto before entering public service. He served as a Member of Canada's House of Commons for 23 years, where he became widely recognized as one of Canada's most experienced parliamentarians and a leading authority on parliamentary procedure, national security, and legislative oversight.
Throughout his career, Mr. Lee has combined legal expertise with public policy leadership, contributing significantly to national security legislation, parliamentary reform, regulatory oversight, and environmental conservation initiatives.
Professional Experience
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Counsel
Provides strategic advice on regulatory, governmental, legislative, and public policy matters.
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Member of Parliament
Served for 23 years as a Member of Parliament, holding leadership positions on numerous parliamentary committees and initiatives.
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Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
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Advisor and Assistant to Cabinet Ministers
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Articled with Stikeman, Elliott, Robarts & Bowman and later practiced as a partner at Stikeman, Lee & Chenoweth, focusing on corporate, commercial, and real estate matters.
Areas of Practice
National Security
Parliamentary Procedure & Governance
Regulatory Affairs
Government Relations
Public Policy
Corporate & Commercial Law
Real Estate Law
Legislative Compliance
Education
LL.B., Queen's University (1973)
B.A.
Professional Qualifications
Called to the Bar of Ontario (1975)
Notary Public
Contact
Email: dereklee@sunpartners.ca
Telephone: (416) 490-0088 ext. 119
National Security
Mr. Lee is recognized as one of Parliament's foremost experts in national security matters.
Key accomplishments include:
Chair, Interim Committee on National Security (2004)
Founding Member and former Chair, Parliamentary Subcommittee on National Security
Participated in the review and adoption of the Anti-Terrorism Act (Bill C-36)
Contributed to the first Parliamentary review of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
Instrumental in establishing parliamentary oversight of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE)
Representative Experience & Leadership
Parliamentary Procedure & Reform
Mr. Lee is internationally recognized for his expertise in parliamentary procedure and legislative reform.
Highlights include:
Author of The Power of Parliamentary Houses to Send for Persons, Papers & Records (1999), a leading reference on parliamentary subpoena powers
Author of Back Bench Exercises, examining procedural reform within the House of Commons
Canadian advisor on parliamentary reform initiatives in Vietnam, Russia, China, Trinidad and Tobago, and Commonwealth jurisdictions
Contributed to numerous parliamentary modernization initiatives adopted by the House of Commons
Regulatory Affairs
As a long-serving member and chair of the Standing Joint Committee for Scrutiny of Regulations, Mr. Lee developed expertise in:
Regulatory oversight
Legislative review
Administrative law
Constitutional compliance
Federal regulatory reform
Environmental Leadership
Mr. Lee has been a strong advocate for environmental preservation and sustainable land management.
His contributions include:
Leadership in protecting over 7,000 acres of federal lands within the Oak Ridges Moraine and Rouge Greenbelt corridor
Long-standing advocate for the preservation of Rouge Valley Park
Federal voting member of the Rouge Park Alliance for 15 years
Community & Public Service
International Engagement
Mr. Lee has actively participated in international initiatives aimed at promoting human rights, democratic governance, and conflict resolution, particularly in South Asia.
Publications
The Power of Parliamentary Houses to Send for Persons, Papers & Records (1999)
A widely cited reference work on parliamentary subpoena powers used throughout common law jurisdictions.
Back Bench Exercises
A publication exploring parliamentary reform and procedural modernization within Canada's House of Commons.
Personal Interests
Outside of his professional and public service commitments, Mr. Lee is an enthusiastic outdoorsman and conservation advocate.
His accomplishments include:
Completing the 800-kilometre Bruce Trail
Undertaking solo trekking expeditions in Northern Canada
Supporting the preservation of natural parklands throughout the Greater Toronto AreaA widely cited reference work on parliamentary subpoena powers used throughout common law jurisdictions.