About the Court

Judges of the Court

The Honourable Mr. Justice Michel Bastarache

Mr. Justice Bastarache, B.A., LL.L., LL.B., D.E.S. Born June 10, 1947. Son of Dr. Alfred Bastarache and Madeleine Claveau. Educated at University of Moncton (B.A.), University of Montréal (LL.L.), University of Ottawa (LL.B.) and University of Nice (graduate degree in public law). Honorary degrees, University of Moncton, 1998, Dalhousie University, 1998; Ottawa University, 1998; University of Mount Allison, 2001; University of Manitoba, 2005; Université Sainte-Anne, 2006; University of New Brunswick, 2007; honorary doctorate, University of Montréal, 2008. Married Yolande Martin in 1968. Two children: Émilie and Jean-François, deceased. Called to the New Brunswick Bar, 1980, the Alberta Bar, 1985, and the Ontario Bar, 1986. Legal translator in the New Brunswick government, Vice-President and Director of Marketing at Assumption Life, later President and Chief Executive Officer of Assumption Life and its subsidiaries. Law professor and Dean at the University of Moncton Law School, 1978-83. Director General, Promotion of Official Languages, Department of the Secretary of State of Canada, 1983-84. Associate Dean, Common Law Section, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa, 1984-87. Practised law in Ottawa with Lang, Michener, Lash, Johnston, 1987-89, and in Moncton with Stewart, McKelvey, Stirling, Scales, 1994-95. Editor and principal author of three books: Language Rights in Canada (Yvon Blais, 1987 and 2004 (2nd ed.)), Précis du droit des biens réels (Yvon Blais, 1993 and 2001 (2nd ed.)) and The Law of Bilingual Interpretation (Butterworths, 2008). Numerous publications in collective works and periodicals. Jurist of the year, Association des juristes francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick, 1993. Ordre des francophones d’Amérique, government of Quebec, 1981. Awarded Canadian 125th anniversary medal, 1993. Prix Boréal, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada, 1995. Kavanagh Award, University of Ottawa, 1998. Received the Médaille de Commandeur de l’Ordre de la Pléiade, 1999, Goodman Fellow, University of Toronto, 1999. Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers, 2001. Received the medal marking the 125th anniversary of the University of Montréal's Faculty of Law, 2003. Officier de la Légion d'honneur (France), 2003. Member, Common Law Honour Society, University of Ottawa, since 2003. Member of the Board of Directors of Air Nova, Fundy Cable, Corporate Communications and Paturel Seafood, 1993-95. Member of the Editorial Boards of the Revue générale de droit international, the Revue québécoise de droit international, the Revue générale de droit, the review C’est ton droit and the Revue du Nouvel Ontario, 1985-88. Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Bar Review, since 1998-2005. Vice-Chair, National Judicial Institute, 2004-2008; Member of the Canadian National Group to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, since 2005; Member of numerous committees on legal education and the practice of law. Member of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council, 1992-94, Literacy New Brunswick, 1993-94, the Izaak Walton Killam Hospital for Children Foundation (Halifax), 1994-95, and the Advisory Committees of the administration faculties at the University of Moncton and the University of New Brunswick at Saint John, 1994-95. Appointed to the New Brunswick Court of Appeal, March 1, 1995, and to the Supreme Court of Canada, September 30, 1997. Justice Bastarache retired on June 30, 2008.