He was New Brunswick Court of Appeal judge, University of Alberta law dean
The judges and staff members of the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) expressed sadness upon hearing of former Justice Gérard Vincent La Forest’s death on June 12 and offered their condolences to his loved ones.
“My colleagues and I mourn the loss of Justice La Forest — an exemplary jurist whose compassion deeply informed the Court’s decisions on issues that touched the lives of all Canadians,” said Richard Wagner, Canada’s chief justice, in a news release.
“As a distinguished appellate judge, legal scholar and public servant, he brought unmatched intellect and experience to the Supreme Court of Canada,” Wagner added.
La Forest joined the SCC on Jan. 16, 1985, served as one of its justices for over 12 years, and retired on Sept. 30, 1997. He passed away at age 99.
“His eloquent judgments, spanning many areas of the law, have left a profound and enduring legacy in Canadian jurisprudence,” Wagner said in the SCC’s news release. “He will be remembered with great respect and admiration.”
The Canadian Bar Association also issued a statement grieving the loss of La Forest. Lynne Vicars, CBA president, called him a “dedicated servant of the Canadian legal system” who contributed significantly to the public service and judicial arenas.
“He was widely admired for his intellect, clarity of thought, and steadfast dedication to public service,” Vicars said in the CBA statement. “On behalf of the CBA, we want to extend our condolences to his family, friends and former colleagues.”
According to La Forest’s profile on the SCC’s website, he was born in Grand Falls, New Brunswick on Apr. 1, 1926.
He earned his BCL from the University of New Brunswick and admission to that province’s bar in 1949. The recipient of a Rhodes scholarship, he graduated with a BA from Oxford University in 1951. He obtained an LLM in 1965 and a JSD in 1966, both from Yale University.
La Forest was briefly a private practitioner and a legal advisor for a private corporation. He worked in Canada’s justice department from 1952–55.
Venturing into academia, he taught at the University of New Brunswick from 1956–68. He earned a King’s Counsel designation in 1968. He served as law dean of the University of Alberta from 1968–70.
La Forest resumed working for the government in 1970. He was Canada’s assistant deputy attorney general until 1974 and a member of the Law Reform Commission of Canada for five years. In 1981, he accepted a direct appointment to the New Brunswick Court of Appeal.
