partners voted on February 5, 2014, to start the orderly dissolution of the firm. It was the largest law firm dissolution in Canadian history, surpassing the previous record set by Goodman and Carr in 2007. On February 28, 2014, the firm closed, leaving a skeleton crew of support staff to wind down the firm's operations over the next few months. Work At the international level, Heenan Blaikie was counsel to the Canadian Employers Council, an organisation that represents Canadian employers at the International Labour Organization (ILO). Heenan Blaikie was also the Canadian member of the National Workers' Compensation Defense Network (NWCDN), an organization of independent law firms in the United States and Canada with an established workers' compensation practice and experience in defending employers and insurance companies in workers' compensation and related actions. In addition to its European and Asian presence, its Paris office served as a foray into the African market. However, the firm's activities in Africa garnered controversy, as its endeavours there included a working relationship with Ari Ben-Menashe, from whom the firm tried to distance itself. According to Jean-Francois Mercadier, "partners started to lose any kind of faith in the management of the firm", which resulted in the company's collapse. Past notable lawyers and alumni Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 15th Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chrétien, 20th Prime Minister of Canada Michel Bastarache, Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada; counsel with Caza Saikaley LLP in Ottawa, Ontario Clement Gascon, Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Donald J. Johnston, co-founder of the firm; Secretary-General of the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development David Stratas, Justice of the Federal Court of Appeal Marcel Aubut, president of the Canadian Olympic Committee André Bureau, chair of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission; chair of Astral Media Pierre-Marc Johnson, 24th Premier of Quebec Erin O'Toole, Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada); leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. References External links Web site for Heenan Blaikie Law firms established in 1973 Companies based in Montreal Defunct law firms of Canada 1973 establishments in Quebec 2014 disestablishments in Quebec Law firms disestablished in 2014