2003-2004 L’honorable Charles D. Gonthier

For 2002-2003, the Council of the Bar of Montréal has decided to present the Medal to the Honorable Charles D. Gonthier, of the Superior Court of Canada.

A law graduate of McGill University, Judge Gonthier practiced law from 1952 to 1974, with major Montreal law firms.  In 1974, he was appointed to the Superior Court, where he would sit until 1988. He was then named to the Court of Appeal of Québec and, less than a year later, to the Supreme Court of Canada, from which he recently retired to return to the practice of law.

During his impressive career, Judge Gonthier participated in the work of a number of Bar committees. He has also been very deeply involved in the arts, especially the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the McCord Museum of Canadian History.

When the Université de Montréal presented him with an honorary doctorate in October 2002, the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Mtre Jacques Frémont, paid tribute to the influence of Judge Gonthier on Canadian law as follows:  “His intellectual qualities make him one of the most highly esteemed Canadian judges and without doubt one of the most influential.  The rigour, daring and humanism of his judgments have clearly marked the development of Canadian law, and done so in the most diverse fields.”

The Bâtonnier of Montréal is proud to honor a brilliant career dedicated to the cause of justice by presenting to this eminent jurist, on behalf of all members, with the highest distinction of the Bar of Montréal.