Charles Doherty Gonthier, (August 1, 1928 – July 16, 2009) was a

Puisne judge Puisne judge and puisne justice () are terms for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. The term comes from a combination of the two French words, (since, later) and (born) which have been combined as or ; meaning ...

on the

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from February 1, 1989, to August 1, 2003. He was replaced by Morris Fish.

Early life

Gonthier was born in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

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to Georges Gonthier, an accountant who was also

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from 1924 to 1939, and Kathleen Doherty. Charles was the only child the two had together, although Georges Gonthier, who had been widowed, had other children from his first marriage. Kathleen's father, Charles Doherty, was a lawyer and politician who became federal

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

. Although Charles Doherty died when Gonthier was only 3, the stories his mother recounted about his grandfather were influential upon his later interest in a law career.Abbate, Gay (July 20, 2009). "Ex-jurist left a complex legacy: Known for his probing questions, he was a strong supporter of the Charter, who provided a voice of restraint", ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', p. S8
Convenience link

Education

He was educated at École Garneau,

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then at Collège Stanislas in Montreal, a

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and the most elite institution of its kind in Quebec where he obtained a

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. He eventually earned his B.C.L. 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 1951 (first class honours). Hon. LL.D., McGill University, 1990. D.H.C., Université de Montréal, 2002. Married in 1961 to Mariette Morin, M.D., M.Sc., F.R.C.S.(C), F.A.C.O.G.

Legal career

Called to the

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, 1952. He practised law in Montréal with Hackett, Mulvena & Laverty, 1952–57 and then with Hugessen, Macklaier, Chisholm, Smith & Davis, later known as Laing, Weldon, Courtois, Clarkson, Parsons, Gonthier & Tétrault, 1957–74. He was appointed to the Quebec Superior Court on October 17, 1974. Later he was appointed to the

Quebec Court of Appeal The Court of Appeal of Quebec (sometimes referred to as Quebec Court of Appeal or QCA; ) is the highest judicial court in Quebec, Canada. It hears cases in Quebec City and Montreal. History The court was created on May 30, 1849, as the Court ...

on May 24, 1988, and finally to the Supreme Court of Canada on February 1, 1989. Gonthier retired on August 1, 2003.

Activities after the Court

Gonthier had a special interest in Environmental and Sustainable Development Law and participated in a number of international conferences. He was also the recipient of several honorary degrees and titles. Gonthier was counsel at McCarthy Tétrault in Montréal. He was also Chair of the Board of Governors of the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL). He was a Wainwright Senior Fellow at the law faculty of McGill University. He was also the longest serving member of the Board of Advisors for the ''

McGill Law Journal The ''McGill Law Journal'' is a student-run legal publication at McGill University Faculty of Law in Montreal. It is a not-for-profit corporation independent of the Faculty and it is managed exclusively by students. The ''Journal'' also publishes t ...

'', from 1992 until his death in 2009, and a board member of '' The McGill International Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy'' as well. Effective August 1, 2006, Gonthier was appointed Commissioner of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), Canada's national cryptologic agency. After his death in 2009, he was entombed at the

Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery (, ) is a rural cemetery located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which was founded in 1854. The entrance and the grounds run along a part of Côte-des-Neiges Ro ...

in Montreal.

Awards and accomplishments

* Appointed

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, 1971. * Member of the Board of the Montréal Legal Aid Bureau, 1959–69. * President of Junior Bar of Montréal, 1960–61. * President of Junior Bar Section of the Canadian Bar Association, 1961–62. * Member of the Board of Montréal Bar, 1961–62. Secretary of the Quebec Division of the Canadian Bar Association, 1963–64. * Member of the Committee on Building Contracts of the Quebec Civil Code Revision Office, 1969–72. * Member of the Committee on Discipline of the Bar of Quebec, 1973–74. * President of the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice, 1986–87. * President of the Canadian Judges Conference, 1988–89. * Chairman of the Commission for National Judges of the First World Conference on the Independence of Justice in Montréal, 1983. * President of l'Association des anciens du Collège Stanislas, 1954–55. * Secretary of the Montréal Branch of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs, 1957–58. * Chairman of the Board of Collège Stanislas, 1984–90. * Honorary Secretary of the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, 1961–76. * Member of the Board of Directors of the McCord Museum of Canadian History, 1976–89. * Knight of l'Ordre des palmes académiques - France, 1988. * Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers (hon.), 1996. * Fellow, Canadian Bar Association, 2003. * Lifetime member, Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice. Bar of Montreal Medal, 2003. * Companion 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 ...

, 2007

References

Other sources

Official Supreme Court of Canada biography

External links

Justice Gonthier Legacy Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonthier, Charles Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada Lawyers from Montreal 1928 births 2009 deaths Communications Security Establishment people Companions of the Order of Canada Chevaliers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques McGill University Faculty of Law alumni Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery Canadian King's Counsel