Senior Legal Counsel and Director of Training, Christian Legal Fellowship

André Schutten is senior counsel and director of training and development at Christian Legal Fellowship. Called to the bar in 2011, he conducts regular analysis on the impact of government bills and court judgments. He has made arguments before the Supreme Court of Canada in five cases and arguments in five provincial courts of appeal. Mr. Schutten has been published in several law journal collections on issues including constitutional interpretation, equality and disability rights, religious and associational freedom, and freedom of expression. His writing has been published in Canadian Diversity, The Supreme Court Law Review, and the National Journal of Constitutional Law, and he has been cited in Canadian court judgments. He has appeared before legislative committees of the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada, and he has presented on legal issues to groups such as the Ontario Bar Association and the Runnymede Society. He also participated in the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Policy Dialogue on Human Rights, Creed, and Freedom of Religion and contributed to its resulting publication. Mr. Schutten, his wife, and four children live in Caledonia, Ontario, where he has served as an ordained elder, a part-time organist, and a former Infantry reservist.