Law
After the war he completed his secondary education and pursued undergraduate studies at the University of British Columbia, where he also earned a law degree. During his time at U.B.C., he joined the Communist University Club, briefly serving as its vice-president.
Communists were banned from joining the bar and the Law Society of BC interviewed Rankin at length prior to admitting him to the bar about his views on God, whether he would defend his country if attacked, and whether he was a member of the Communist Party of Canada, then called the Labour Progessive Party, something he was able to deny as the Communist University Club was an independent and unaffiliated organization. In the wake of the Law Society refusing to admit Gordon Martin to the bar on account of his being an avowed communist, Rankin had to sign a declaration that he was not a communist prior to being allowed to join.
As a lawyer, Rankin fought for and helped establish the province's legal aid system. In 1950 he was one of the founding members of a committee that created a list of lawyers who were willing to take on cases, mostly pro bono, preceding the establishment of the BC Legal Aid Society by 20 years.
Rankin worked as a criminal lawyer and labour lawyer, and he spent a significant amount of time working for First Nations clients, most notably in the much-publicised case of Fred Quilt.
Read more about this topic: Harry Rankin
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