Michel Bastarache

The Hon. J. E. Michel Bastarache
Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
In office September 30, 1997 – June 30, 2008
Nominated by	Jean Chrétien
Preceded by	Gérard La Forest
Succeeded by	Thomas Cromwell
Personal details
Born	June 10, 1947 (1947-06-10) (age 64) Quebec City, Quebec

J. E. Michel Bastarache CC (born June 10, 1947 in Quebec City, Quebec) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and retired puisne justice on the Supreme Court of Canada.

Born in Quebec City, Bastarache earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Université de Moncton in 1967. He received a Licence d'études supérieures en droit public from the University of Nice in 1972.

From 1970 to 1971, he was a legal translator for the Province of New Brunswick. In 1973, he was the General Secretary for the Société des Acadiens et Acadiennes du Nouveau-Brunswick. In 1974, he was the Assistant to the President of Assumption Mutual Life, becoming Director Sales in 1975, and Vice-President Marketing in 1976.

Returning to school, he went on to get his Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Ottawa in 1978. He was called to the New Brunswick Bar in 1980, the Alberta Bar in 1985, and the Ontario Bar in 1986. In 1978, he joined the Université de Moncton as a Law Professor and was Dean of the Law School from 1980 to 1983. From 1983 to 1984, he was the Director General for the Promotion of Official Languages in the Department of the Secretary of State of Canada. From 1984 to 1987, he was the Associate Dean of the Common Law section of the University of Ottawa.

In 1987, he joined the firm of Lang Michener Lash Johnston becoming partner in 1988. From 1989 to 1994, he was the President and Chief Executive Office of Assumption Mutual Life. In 1994, he moved back to Moncton to practice at Stewart McKelvey Stirling Scales. He was appointed to the New Brunswick Court of Appeal in 1995 and then promoted to the Supreme Court in 1997.

Bastarache retired from the Supreme Court, effective June 30, 2008, and has joined the Ottawa office of Canadian law firm Heenan Blaikie.^[1]

He was made a Companion of the Order of Canada in recognition "for his lifelong commitment to the promotion of linguistic duality and the protection of minority rights, as a law professor and a judge" in 2009.^[2]

See also

• Reasons of the Supreme Court of Canada by Justice Bastarache

References

• "Establishing Official Languages in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms" at Library and Archives Canada

1. ^ Top court's Bastarache to retire after spring session
2. ^ Office of the Governor General of Canada. Order of Canada citation. Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 24 May 2010

External links

• Supreme Court of Canada bio

Persondata
Name	Bastarache, Michel
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1947-06-10
Place of birth	Quebec City, Quebec
Date of death
Place of death