 This event is a tradition of the annual assembly. We are here to pay tribute to journalists and journalists who contributed exceptionally to our profession. At this awards celebration, we honor those who merit special recognition for their exemplary achievements. I would like to call upon the chair of the Foundation for Legal Research, John Jennings, to present the Walter Owen Book Prize. Thank you Susan. The Foundation for Legal Research, of which I have the honor to be the chair, is yet another of the many institutions which were given life by the CBA. It's a charitable organization founded some 45 years ago by a group of senior CBA lawyers who believed passionately that there was a need to sponsor legal research that would be of practical value to Canadian lawyers and judges, assisting them in the carrying out of their daily chores. Membership in the Foundation is by invitation to lawyers who have made a significant contribution to our profession on the recommendation of regional directors. Respected members agree to make a donation to the Foundation of $2,000, payable over 10 years or sooner if they'd like to do so, following which they become fellows of the Foundation. Without the support of those fellows and members, the important work of the Foundation simply could not be carried out. Thanks to the members, the Foundation today has an endowment of about $2.5 million. We distribute our annual income in different ways. Firstly, we allocate about $60,000 to research grants. That provides for approximately 15 grants to individuals, lawyers and law teachers who have applied for assistance in carrying out their research and they apply from across Canada. Secondly, we provide financial support for the CLE component of this wonderful conference and this year we've again agreed to fund the Young Lawyers' Winning Advocacy Skills Program on Monday that will cross-examination techniques. And our third function, and what brings me here before you today, is awarding the Walter Owen Book Prize in the sum of $10,000. The pre-Walter Owen, the Sané Parle de Fondation pour le Réserts de Dic, vis-à-recompenser l'excellence dans la redaction juridique et de nouvelles contributions exceptionnelles à la doctrine juridique canadienne. The prize, which alternates between English and French books, is awarded annually to Warner works that are highly valued by Canadian lawyers and judges. The jury makes the selection based on the relevance of the work to everyday work, the choice of topic, the quality of the work, and the timeliness of the project during the past two years. The selection committee this year was chaired by Professor John Davis and included David Day, Justice Mary Newbury, Bill Hurlbert, Timothy Mathews and Peter Plisca. I thank them for their very hard work. The award this year is unique in that it is to be shared between two English-language texts. I am pleased to announce that the winners of the 2005 Walter Owen Book Prize are Alan D. Gold for his work Expert Evidence in Criminal Law and Professors Edward Gold, Aldo Cherkopp, and Hugh Kendred, all of the Dalhousie Law School, Authors of Maritime Law. These two books are really perfect exemplars of the object of the prize to recognize works of real importance to lawyers and judges. I'd like just to take a moment to read to you from the report of the selection committee about these two winners. I start with Maritime Law. This is a comprehensive work on Maritime Law as it has been developed in this practice in Canada. The first general treatment of the subject published since 1916. This excellent and welcome text which meets the needs of both academics and practitioners in this field fills a large void in Canadian legal scholarship.