Robert Friedland was born in Brooklyn, New York, and has lived and worked in Wyoming, South Dakota, Alberta and British Columbia. He has held various governmental positions, including: Sheriff of a Judicial District; an investigator for the United States Treasury Department; a Regional Director of the Alberta Human Rights Commission; a candidate for the Parliament of Canada; Human Rights Advisor for Malaspina University-College; and, Chief Lawyer for a group of seven Indian Bands in the Interior of British Columbia. Mr. Friedland is, at this time, a lawyer practicing in Victoria, British Columbia, and an elected member of Victoria's City Council.