Julian Porter

Julian Harris Porter, (born December 4, 1936), is a Canadian lawyer and was Chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission from 1979 to 1987.

Background Porter was born December 4, 1936, to Dorothy (nee Ramsay) and Dana Porter. His father was a Canadian lawyer and former Attorney General of Ontario. After graduating from the University of Toronto Schools, he studied at the University of Toronto, and the Osgoode Hall Law School. He was called to the bar in 1964 and appointed Queen's Counsel in 1975.

He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and has received an honorary LL.D from Queen's University.

In 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau retained Porter as his counsel for a libel action against Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer, for comments Scheer made over the SNC-Lavalin affair.

Politics

Porter was the candidate for the Progressive Conservative party in the 1985 Ontario provincial election in the St. David riding, the same riding formerly represented by his father in the Ontario Legislature. Porter ran against his personal friend Ian Scott who was the Liberal candidate. Scott won the contest and would serve as Attorney General of Ontario in the government of David Peterson.