Juanita Westmoreland-Traore, (born March 10, 1942) is the first black judge in the history of

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 ...

. She is also the first black dean of a law school (the

University of Windsor Faculty of Law The Faculty of Law is a Faculty (division), faculty of the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The first class of students matriculated in 1968, and the current building was opened in 1970. The Faculty has grown i ...

) in Canada's history.

Early life and education

Westmoreland-Traoré was born in

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

, now part of

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 ...

, in 1942, the daughter of immigrants from

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

. She studied at

Marianopolis College , mottoeng = "Under the Guidance of Mary" , established = 1908 , type = Private college , endowment = , director = Mr. Christian Corno , provost = E ...

, and subsequently obtained a law degree from the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...

(1966) and a doctorate from the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

Career

She was called to the Quebec Bar in 1969, and began practising law in 1970 with the law firm of Mergler, Melançon. She has also been a member of the Ontario Bar since 1997. During the 1970s, Westmoreland-Traoré taught at the

from 1972 to 1976, and from 1976 to 1991 at the

Université du Québec à Montréal The Université du Québec à Montréal (English: University of Quebec in Montreal), also known as UQAM, is a French-language public university based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest constituent element of the Université du Québe ...

. In 1990, Westmoreland-Traoré was an arbitrator to the

Human Rights Tribunal of Quebec The Human Rights Tribunal of Quebec (french: Tribunal des droits de la personne) is a specialized First instance, first-instance tribunal of the province of Quebec, Canada, that has the jurisdiction to hear and judge litigations concerning discrim ...

. Westmoreland-Traoré was also a member of the Office de protection des consommateurs du Québec from 1979 to 1983. From 1983 to 1985, she was a Commissioner for the

Canadian Human Rights Commission The Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) was established in 1977 by the government of Canada. It is empowered under the ''Canadian Human Rights Act'' to investigate and to try to settle complaints of discrimination in employment and in the pro ...

. In 1985, she became the first chair of Quebec's Council on Cultural Communities and Immigration. From 1991 to 1995, she was Employment Equity Commissioner of Ontario. In this role, she set up support to monitor the introduction of employment equity planning to seventeen thousand Ontario businesses. From 1996 to 1999 she was the dean of the

University of Windsor , mottoeng = Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge , established = , academic_affiliations = CARL, COU, Universities Canada , former_names = Assumption College (1857-1956)Assumption University of Windsor (1956-1963) , type = Public universit ...

's law faculty. She was appointed a Judge of the Court of Quebec for the District of Montreal in 1999.

Honours and awards

In 1991, she was made an Officer of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Gove ...

. Westmoreland-Traoré has received other awards, including from

Canadian Jewish Congress The Canadian Jewish Congress (, , ) was, for more than ninety years, the main advocacy group for the Jewish community in Canada. Regarded by many as the "Parliament of Canadian Jewry," the Congress was at the forefront of the struggle for human r ...

, the Montreal Association of Black Business Persons and Professionals, and the

Canadian Bar Association The Canadian Bar Association (CBA), or Association du barreau canadien (ABC) in Canadian French, French, represents over 37,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers and law students from across Canada. History The Association's first Annu ...

. In 2008, she was awarded the Quebec Human Rights Commission's Rights and Liberties Prize for her career-long fight against discrimination. In 2021, she received the Medal of the Barreau de Montréal. In March 2013,

's Département des sciences juridiques founded the Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré scholarship. The $3000 scholarship is to be awarded annually to a single undergraduate law student who uses their training to promote human rights, social justice and equality. Sameer Zuberi, a human rights advocate of ten years, was the bursary's first recipient in April 2014. Westmoreland-Traoré received honorary doctorates from

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 Ottawa ...

in 1993,

in 2001, and

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 2018.Spring 2018 Convocations Honorary Degree Recipients https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/spring-2018-convocations-honorary-degree-recipients

References

External links

Criminal Justice Firsts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Westmoreland-Traore, Juanita 1942 births Living people Black Canadian women Judges in Quebec Canadian university and college faculty deans Women deans (academic) Officers of the National Order of Quebec Université de Montréal Faculty of Law alumni Canadian women judges People from Verdun, Quebec University of Paris alumni Academic staff of the Université de Montréal Academic staff of the Université du Québec à Montréal Canadian people of Guyanese descent