Harry Smith LaForme (born October 31, 1946) is a

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. A member of the

Mississaugas The Mississaugas are a group of First Nations peoples located in southern Ontario, Canada. They are a sub-group of the Ojibwe Nation. Etymology The name "Mississauga" comes from the Anishinaabe word ''Misi-zaagiing'', meaning " hose at theGr ...

people, LaForme is the first

appellate court An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear a case upon appeal from a trial court or other lower tribunal. Appel ...

judge in Canadian history with a

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background. He has served as the Commissioner of the Indian Commission of

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; as the Chair of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Land Claims; and – until his resignation in October 2008 – as head of the

Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

. LaForme graduated from

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the ''Journal of Law and Social Policy'', and the ''Osgoode Hall Law Journal ...

in 1977 and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1979." In 2002, LaForme served on the Ontario Divisional Court panel that ruled that denying same-sex couples the right to marry was a violation of their civil rights; his suggestion – that marriage be redefined – was subsequently adopted by the

Court of Appeal for Ontario The Court of Appeal for Ontario (frequently mistakenly referred to as the Ontario Court of Appeal) (ONCA is the abbreviation for its neutral citation) is the appellate court for the province of Ontario, Canada. The seat of the court is Osgoode Ha ...

Career

After graduating from

in Toronto in 1977, he articled at Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1979. He joined the firm's corporate commercial law practice briefly as an associate, and then started his own practice to focus on Aboriginal law. During that time, he litigated and was known for

constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in ...

and the

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms The ''Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms'' (), often simply referred to as the ''Charter'' in Canada, is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada, forming the first part of the '' Constitution Act, 1982''. The ''Char ...

. He appeared before all levels of court and represented Aboriginal interests throughout Canada and abroad, including in

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, New Zealand, and the

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. Justice LaForme was appointed Commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario in 1989 and then Chief Commissioner of the Federal Indian Claims Commission from 1992 to 1994. From October 1989 to June 1990 Justice LaForme also co-chaired the independent National Chiefs Task Force on Native Land Claims. He taught at Osgoode Hall Law School in 1992 and 1993, after which he was appointed to serve as an Ontario Court of Justice (General Division) Judge in 1994. At the time, only two other Aboriginal people had ever been appointed to this level of trial court in Canada. Justice LaForme was appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2004, being the first Aboriginal person ever to sit on any appellate court in Canada. He left the Court of Appeal to serve as first Chair named to the

regarding

Aboriginal peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

. On October 20, 2008 he resigned citing insubordination and returned to the Court of Appeal for Ontario, where he worked as a judge until he retired in October 2018.

Honours

Justice LaForme's own Aboriginal people have recognized his accomplishments with honours such as the 1997 National Aboriginal Achievement Award in the area of Law and Justice and presenting him with at least 6 Eagle Feathers, which symbolize the virtues of honesty, integrity, and respect. Aboriginal elders bestowed these and other honours upon Justice LaForme on different occasions, including when he was sworn in as an Appellate Judge. In 2007, a $500 first year law studen
bursary
was established in his name at the University of Windsor. Justice LaForme was an Olympic Torch carrier for the 2010 Canada Winter Olympic Games. In 2013, Justice LaForme was awarded an honorary doctorate in education at Nipissing University. In 2017, Justice LaForme was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws, honoris causa (lld) by the Law Society of Upper Canada at its Call to the Bar Ceremony in Toronto. LaForme was appointed to 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 2022, with the rank of Officer.

Publications

* *

References

External links

A Nation Apologises for "killing the Indian in the child"
Indo Canada Outlook.com, 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Laforme, Harry Living people 1946 births Mississauga people Justices of the Court of Appeal for Ontario Indspire Awards Officers of the Order of Canada Lawyers from Hamilton, Ontario Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada people