Paul-André Crépeau, (May 20, 1926 – July 6, 2011) was a Canadian legal academic who led the reforms of the

Civil Code of Quebec The ''Civil Code of Quebec'' (CCQ; , ) is the civil code in force in the Canadian province of Quebec, which came into effect on January 1, 1994. It replaced the '' Civil Code of Lower Canada'' () enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Provin ...

and the

Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms The ''Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms'' (, ), also known as the "Quebec Charter", is a statutory bill of rights and human rights code passed by the National Assembly of Quebec on June 27, 1975. It received Royal Assent from Lieutenant Gove ...

. Born in

Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan Gravelbourg () is a small multicultural town in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located just west of the Wood River at the junction of provincial Highway 43 and Highway 58, approximately 125 kilometres from Moose Jaw, Swift Cur ...

, he studied philosophy at the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

. He received his legal education from the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (; UdeM; ) 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-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on M ...

. He attended

University College, Oxford University College, formally The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University commonly called University College in the University of Oxford and colloquially referred to as "Univ", is a Colleges of the University of Oxf ...

as a

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international Postgraduate education, postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Esta ...

in 1950. In 1955 he received a Doctor of Law from the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

. From 1974 to 1984, he was the director of the Institute of Comparative Law at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

. In 1975, he founded the Quebec Research Centre of Private and Comparative Law, and served as its director until 1996. The centre was renamed the Paul-André Crépeau Centre for Private and Comparative Law in his honour in 2012.McGill University News: 'The QRCPCL becomes the Paul-André Crépeau Centre for Private and Comparative Law', 26 March 2012
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Honours

* In 1980, he was made a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; , SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bilingual council of distinguishe ...

. * In 1981, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. * In 1989, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws from

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

. * In 1992, he was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada. * In 1993, he was the first winner of the Canadian Bar Association's Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Law. * In 2000, he was made an Officer of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec ( French: ), also known as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governor Jean-Pierre Côté granted royal assent to the (Natio ...

. * In 2001, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Sorbonne. * In 2002, he was awarded the

Prix Léon-Gérin The Prix Léon-Gérin is an award by the Government of Quebec that is part of the Prix du Québec, which "goes to researchers in one of the social sciences". It is named in honour of Léon Gérin. Winners See also * List of social sciences ...

. * In 2004, he was awarded the Medal of the Bar of Montreal. * In 2008, he was awarded the

Prix Georges-Émile-Lapalme The Prix Georges-Émile-Lapalme is an award by the Government of Quebec that is part of the Prix du Québec, given to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the quality and diffusion of the French language written or spoken in Q ...

. * In 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Saskatchewan.

References

Prix Léon-Gérin citation

Paul-André Crépeau
at

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crepeau, Paul-Andre 1926 births 2011 deaths Alumni of University College, Oxford Canadian Rhodes Scholars Companions of the Order of Canada Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Fransaskois people Academic staff of the McGill University Faculty of Law Officers of the National Order of Quebec Université de Montréal alumni University of Ottawa alumni University of Paris alumni People from Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan Canadian King's Counsel Canadian legal scholars Canadian expatriates in France Recipients of the Prix Léon-Gérin