Louis-Philippe de Grandpré, (February 6, 1917 – January 24, 2008) was a
Canadian lawyer and
puisne justice of 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 ...
.
Family and early life
Louis-Philippe de Grandpré was born in
Montreal,
Quebec, to Roland de Grandpré and Aline Magnan.
He was one of three brothers, all of whom became gifted, popular lawyers. His brother
Jean de Grandpré became Chairman of Bell Canada, and his brother Pierre practised for more than 45 years.
De Grandpré received a classical education at
Collège Sainte-Marie de Montréal, graduating in 1935. He then studied law at
McGill University and received a
Bachelor of Civil Law in 1938.
De Grandpré was diagnosed with
syringomyelia when he was 29, and from then on he was virtually paralyzed on the right side of his body.
Early legal career
He practised law in Montreal from 1938 and, about eight years after his call to the bar, he co-founded the firm of Tansey, de Grandpré et de Grandpré.
From 1972 to 1973, he was president of the
Canadian Bar Association, where he took a position opposing state-controlled
legal aid
Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to co ...
plans.
Supreme Court
He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on January 1, 1974. de Grandpré was the subject of controversy that year when objections were raised to him hearing the case
Morgentaler v. The Queen
''Morgentaler v R'' (also known as ''Morgentaler v The Queen'') is a decision of the Supreme Court of Canada where physician Henry Morgentaler unsuccessfully challenged the prohibition of abortion in Canada under the Criminal Code. The Court f ...
given his prior personal statements about the issue at a 1973 national meeting of the Canadian Bar Association. In the end, the Chief Justice decided that Mr. Justice de Grandpré could remain on the panel to hear the abortion case.
By October 1, 1977, he resigned complaining of Chief Justice
Bora Laskin
Bora Laskin (October 5, 1912 – March 26, 1984) was a Canadian jurist who served as the 14th chief justice of Canada from 1973 to 1984. Laskin was appointed a puisne justice of the Supreme Court in 1970, and served on the Ontario Court of A ...
's style of running the Court and the direction it was taking on many constitutional matters. In an interview near the end of his life, he said he found the work on the Court dead boring.
Subsequent legal career
After leaving the bench, de Grandpré returned to the practice of law at the firm of Lafleur, Brown, de Grandpré (which later became Gowling Lafleur Henderson), and was seen as a mentor by many lawyers. In 1985, de Grandpré authored a report on judicial independence for the Canadian Bar Association.
Later life and death
In 1971 he was made a Companion of the
Order of Canada. In 1998 he was made a Grand Officer of the
National Order of Quebec.
He died on January 24, 2008, in Saint-Lambert, leaving behind his wife, four children, eleven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren and a brother. The funeral service was held at
Saint-Viateur d'Outremont and he was entombed at the
Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery in Montreal.
His wife died in 2012.
References
External links
Supreme Court of Canada Biography: Louis-Philippe de GrandpréObituaryGlobe and Mail obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grandpre, Louis-Philippe De
1917 births
2008 deaths
Companions of the Order of Canada
Grand Officers of the National Order of Quebec
Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada
Canadian Bar Association Presidents
Lawyers from Montreal
Canadian King's Counsel
McGill University Faculty of Law alumni
Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery