John D. Richard (born July 30, 1934) was the Chief Justice of Canada's

Federal Court of Appeal The Federal Court of Appeal (french: Cour d'appel fédérale) is a Canadian appellate court that hears cases concerning federal matters. History Section 101 of the Constitution Act, 1867 empowers the Parliament of Canada to establish "addit ...

and in 2013, was listed as a NAFTA adjudicator. Richard was born in Ottawa,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, and received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...

in 1955, followed by his law studies at

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 L ...

, where he received the gold medal and the Chancellor Van Koughnet Scholarship in 1959. He was called to the

Bar of Ontario The Law Society of Ontario (LSO; french: Barreau de l'Ontario) is the law society responsible for the self-regulation of lawyers and paralegals in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. Founded in 1797 as the Law ...

in that year, continuing his studies for an Honours Licentiate in Political & Social Sciences from Louvain University in 1960. He then practised law as a trial lawyer at two firms throughout his legal career, from 1960 until 1994, when he was appointed as a judge. He was created Queen's Counsel in 1976. In 1994, he was appointed as a judge on the

Federal Court of Canada The Federal Court of Canada, which succeeded the Exchequer Court of Canada in 1971, was a national court of Canada that had limited jurisdiction to hear certain types of disputes arising under the federal government's legislative jurisdiction. O ...

's Trial Division, followed by his appointment as associate chief justice in 1998. The court's name was changed to the Federal Court of Appeal, and he was appointed Chief Justice in 1999 by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Richard served until September 2009, when he retired.Dave Brown, "Lawyers often reach for more than money", ''Ottawa Citizen'' (October 26, 2009), p. B1. Richard then became the Honorary Chairperson of Reach Canada, an NGO located in Ottawa that assists people with disabilities to get legal help. In June 2012, Richard was named to 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 cen ...

.Mark Brownlee, "City residents named to Order of Canada", ''The Ottawa Citizen'' (June 30, 2012), p. D6.

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External links

John D. Richard
at th
Federal Court of Appeal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richard, John 1934 births Lawyers in Ontario University of Ottawa alumni People from Ottawa Living people Judges of the Federal Court of Appeal (Canada) Officers of the Order of Canada Osgoode Hall Law School alumni Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni