Gerald Eric Le Dain, (November 27, 1924 – December 18, 2007) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

lawyer and judge, who sat 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 1984 to 1988.

Life and education

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 ...

, the son of Eric George Bryant Le Dain and Antoinette Louise Whithard, he served during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as an artilleryman with the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery. He received a B.C.L from

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 ...

and was called to the Quebec Bar in 1949.Patrick J. Monahan, Harry W. Arthurs, and Bruce B. Ryder, "In Memoriam: Honourable Gerald Eric Le Dain, 1924-2007", Osgoode Hall Law Journal, Volume 45, Number 4 (Winter 2007), 655–663.
/ref> He then studied at the University of Lyon in France, receiving a Docteur de l'Université degree in 1950.

Legal career

Gerald Le Dain practised law with Walker, Martineau, Chauvin, Walker & Allison from 1950 to 1953. He received a doctorate from the University of Lyon in 1950. He taught law at McGill University from 1953 to 1959 and again from 1966 to 1967. He also worked in the Legal Department for the Canadian International Paper Co. (1959–1961). He became Partner of Riel, Le Dain, Bissonnette Vermette & Ryan from 1961 to 1966, now known as Dunton Rainville. He was dean of

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The law school is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the Journal of Law and Social Policy, and the ''Osgoode Hall La ...

from 1967 to 1972. From 1969 to 1973, he was the chairman of the Commission of Inquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs (also known as the Le Dain Commission), which recommended that cannabis be removed from the narcotic control act and be regulated provincially. In 1975, he was appointed to the Federal Court of Appeal and the Court Martial Appeal Court.

Supreme Court

In 1984 Le Dain was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. In November 1988, he resigned from the bench after hospitalization for depression, presumably from overwork. A 2017

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documentary claimed that Le Dain resigned under pressure from the chief justice, Brian Dickson, due to the view at the time that a person suffering from depression could not fulfill the role of a justice. Former justice Claire L'Heureux-Dubé said of the situation: "Justice Le Dain, being an exceptional mind and very great for the court, should have been given the time to get back healthy. And we thought that wouldn't be that long. Being forced to resign in such a position, it must have been terrible."

Death

Le Dain died December 18, 2007 in Ottawa, Ontario. His memorial service was held on December 28, 2007 at Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa.

Awards

In 1976, he received an honorary doctorate from

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

. In 1989, he was made a 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 ...

References

External links

Official Biography
from the

Former Supreme Court justice Le Dain dies at 83
- Obituary from Canadian Press
From Library and Archives Canada description

'He didn't have a choice': How depression cost Gerald Le Dain his Supreme Court post
{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Dain, Gerald 1924 births 2007 deaths Canadian legal scholars Companions of the Order of Canada Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada Canadian university and college faculty deans Academic staff of McGill University Academic staff of York University People from Montreal Canadian Anglicans Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery personnel McGill University Faculty of Law alumni Canadian Army personnel of World War II Military personnel from Montreal