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Charles Doherty Gonthier, (August 1, 1928 – July 16, 2009) was a
Puisne judge A puisne judge or puisne justice (; from french: puisné or ; , 'since, later' + , 'born', i.e. 'junior') is a dated term for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. Use The term is used almost exclusively in common law ...
on the
Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...
from February 1, 1989 to August 1, 2003. He was replaced by
Morris Fish Morris Jacob Fish, (born November 16, 1938) was a judge of the Supreme Court of Canada from 2003 to 2013. Born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Aaron S. Fish and Zlata Grober, he received a Bachelor of Arts (with distinction) in 1959 and a Bachelo ...
.


Early life

Gonthier was born in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
,
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
to
Georges Gonthier Georges Gonthier is a Canadian computer scientist and one of the leading practitioners in formal mathematics. He led the formalization of the four color theorem and Feit–Thompson proof of the odd-order theorem. (Both were written using the ...
, an accountant who was also
Auditor General of Canada The Auditor General of Canada is an officer of the Parliament of Canada to aid accountability and oversight by conducting independent financial audits of federal government operations. These audits provide members of parliament with objective e ...
from 1924 to 1939, and Kathleen Doherty. Charles was the only child the two had together, although Georges Gonthier, who had been widowed, had other children from his first marriage. Kathleen's father,
Charles Doherty Charles Joseph Doherty, (May 11, 1855 – July 28, 1931) was a Canadian politician and lawyer. Early life and education Doherty was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Marcus Doherty, an Irish-born judge of the Supreme Court for the Pro ...
, was a lawyer and politician who became federal
Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...
. Although Charles Doherty died when Gonthier was only 3, the stories his mother recounted about his grandfather were influential upon his later interest in a law career.Abbate, Gay (July 20, 2009). "Ex-jurist left a complex legacy: Known for his probing questions, he was a strong supporter of the Charter, who provided a voice of restraint", ''
The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', p. S8
Convenience link


Education

He was educated at École Garneau,
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
then at Collège Stanislas in Montreal, a
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
and the most elite institution of its kind in Quebec where he obtained a
French Baccalaureate French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
. He eventually earned his B.C.L. at
McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
in 1951 (first class honours). Hon. LL.D., McGill University, 1990. D.H.C., Université de Montréal, 2002. Married in 1961 to Mariette Morin, M.D., M.Sc., F.R.C.S.(C), F.A.C.O.G.


Legal career

Called to the
Bar of Quebec The Bar of Quebec (french: Barreau du Québec) is the regulatory body for the practice of advocates in the Canadian province of Quebec and one of two legal regulatory bodies in the province. It was founded on May 30, 1849, as the Bar of Lower Ca ...
, 1952. He practised law in Montréal with Hackett, Mulvena & Laverty, 1952–57 and then with Hugessen, Macklaier, Chisholm, Smith & Davis, later known as Laing, Weldon, Courtois, Clarkson, Parsons, Gonthier & Tétrault, 1957–74. He was appointed to the
Quebec Superior Court The Superior Court of Quebec (french: Cour supérieure du Québec) is a superior trial court in the Province of Quebec, in Canada. It consists of 157 judges who are appointed by the federal government. Appeals from this court are taken to the Qu ...
on October 17, 1974. Later he was appointed to the
Quebec Court of Appeal The Court of Appeal of Quebec (sometimes referred to as Quebec Court of Appeal or QCA) (in French: ''la Cour d'appel du Québec'') is the highest judicial court in Quebec, Canada. It hears cases in Quebec City and Montreal. History The Court wa ...
on May 24, 1988 and finally to the Supreme Court of Canada on February 1, 1989. Gonthier retired on August 1, 2003.


Activities after the Court

In recent years, Gonthier had a special interest in Environmental and Sustainable Development Law and participated in a number of international conferences. He was also the recipient of several honorary degrees and titles. Gonthier was counsel at McCarthy Tétrault in Montréal. He was also Chair of the Board of Governors of the
Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL) The Center for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL) is an international legal research center that promotes sustainable societies and the protection of ecosystems. The CISDL is led by a Board of Governors and guided by a roster ...
. He was a Wainwright Senior Fellow at the Law Faculty of McGill University. He was also the longest serving member of the Board of Advisors for the ''
McGill Law Journal The ''McGill Law Journal'' is a student-run legal publication at McGill University Faculty of Law in Montreal. It is a not-for-profit corporation independent of the Faculty and it is managed exclusively by students. The ''Journal'' also publishes t ...
'', from 1992 until his death in 2009, and a board member of ''
The McGill International Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy The ''McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law'' (''MJSDL'') is a biannual peer-reviewed law journal published at the McGill University Faculty of Law and run solely by law students. The journal was established in 2005 as the ''McGill Interna ...
'' as well. Effective August 1, 2006, Gonthier was appointed Commissioner of the
Communications Security Establishment The Communications Security Establishment (CSE; french: Centre de la sécurité des télécommunications, ''CST''), formerly (from 2008-2014) called the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC), is the Government of Canada's national c ...
(CSE), Canada's national cryptologic agency. After his death in 2009, he was entombed at the
Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery (french: Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges) is a rural cemetery located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada which was founded in 1854. The entrance and the grounds run a ...
in Montreal.


Awards and accomplishments

* Appointed
Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...
, 1971. * Member of the Board of the Montréal Legal Aid Bureau, 1959–69. * President of Junior Bar of Montréal, 1960–61. * President of Junior Bar Section of the Canadian Bar Association, 1961–62. * Member of the Board of Montréal Bar, 1961–62. Secretary of the Quebec Division of the Canadian Bar Association, 1963–64. * Member of the Committee on Building Contracts of the Quebec Civil Code Revision Office, 1969–72. * Member of the Committee on Discipline of the Bar of Quebec, 1973–74. * President of the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice, 1986–87. * President of the Canadian Judges Conference, 1988–89. * Chairman of the Commission for National Judges of the First World Conference on the Independence of Justice in Montréal, 1983. * President of l'Association des anciens du Collège Stanislas, 1954–55. * Secretary of the Montréal Branch of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs, 1957–58. * Chairman of the Board of Collège Stanislas, 1984–90. * Honorary Secretary of the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, 1961–76. * Member of the Board of Directors of the McCord Museum of Canadian History, 1976–89. * Knight of l'Ordre des palmes académiques - France, 1988. * Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers (hon.), 1996. * Fellow, Canadian Bar Association, 2003. * Lifetime member, Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice. Bar of Montreal Medal, 2003. * Companion of the
Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...
, 2007


See also

* Opinions of the Supreme Court of Canada by Justice Gonthier


References


Other sources


Official Supreme Court of Canada biography


External links


Justice Gonthier Legacy Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonthier, Charles Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada Lawyers from Montreal 1928 births 2009 deaths Communications Security Establishment people Companions of the Order of Canada Chevaliers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques McGill University Faculty of Law alumni Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery Canadian King's Counsel