J.E.MICHEL BASTARACHE, C.C., Q.C., COUNSEL

J.E.MICHEL BASTARACHE, C.C., Q.C.,
COUNSEL
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (604) 669-0011
BAR ADMISSION
British Columbia, 2014
Quebec, 2008
Ontario, 1986
Alberta, 1985
New Brunswick, 1980
EDUCATION
LL.B., University of
Ottawa, 1978
D.E.S., University of
Nice, 1972
LL.L., University of
Montreal, 1970
B.A., University of
Moncton, 1967
PROFESSIONAL
ASSOCIATES AND
AFFILIATIONS
Vice-Chairman, Comité
d’étude sur l’intégration
des
deux
langues
officielles
dans
la
pratique du droit au
Nouveau-Brunswick,
New Brunswick Bar
Association, 1980-1981
Joint Chairman, Groupe
d’étude sur les langues
officielles
(Official
Languages Task Force),
Official
Languages
Michel Bastarache has been instrumental in the interpretation and
application of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He is
a recognized authority on a number of topics in a variety of fields including
constitutional, administrative and criminal law. Mr. Bastarache was counsel
at the national law firm of Heenan Blaikie from 2008 until 2014. He is also an
associate professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Moncton, and at the
Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa.
Mr. Bastarache was very involved in the academic, government, business
and legal communities. He was a legal translator for the Government of New
Brunswick (1970-1971), Secretary General of the Société des Acadiens et
Acadiennes du Nouveau Brunswick (1973-1974), a law professor and Dean
at the University of Moncton Faculty of Law (1978-1983), Director General of
the Department of the Secretary of State of Canada Promotion of Official
Languages Branch (1983-1984), and Associate Dean of the Common Law
Section at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law (1984-1987). He also
worked for the Assumption Mutual Life Insurance Company where he was
appointed Vice-President and Director of Marketing (1974-1977) and later
President and Chief Executive Officer (1989-1994). In addition, he worked in
private practice in Ottawa (1987-1989) and Moncton (1994-1995).
Throughout his exceptional career, Mr. Bastarache was awarded numerous
honorary degrees, prestigious decorations and awards in recognition of his
outstanding leadership in private practice, legal education and public service.
He holds honorary degrees from the University of Moncton (1998), Dalhousie
University (1998), the University of Ottawa (1998), the University of Mount
Allison (2001), the University of Manitoba (2005), the Université Sainte-Anne
(2006), the University of New Brunswick (2007), and the Université de
Montréal (2008). A Goodman Fellow of the University of Toronto and a
Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Mr. Bastarache was
recognized on numerous occasions for his significant contributions and
commitment to French-speaking and Acadian communities across Canada.
He received, among other awards, the Ordre des francophones d’Amérique
from the Government of Québec (1981), the 125th Anniversary of the
Confederation of Canada Medal (1993), the title of Jurist of the Year from
the Association des juristes d’expression française du Nouveau-Brunswick
(1993), the Boréal Award from the Fédération des communautés
francophones et acadiennes du Canada (1995), the Médaille de
Commandeur de l’Ordre de la Pléiade (1999), the Officier de la Légion
Department,
Government of New
Brunswick, 1981-1982
d’honneur Medal from the Government of the French Republic (2003), and
One person task force
on the implementation
of
the
Official
Languages Act of the
North West Territories,
for the Department of
the Secretary of State
for Canada, 1983
Resolution Court. In 2012, Mr. Justice Bastarache was awarded the Queen’s
Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2013, he received the Ordre du mérite de
Member of the Editorial
Board, Revue générale
de droit international,
1984-1986
Assistant Editor-in-Chief
of the Review “C’est ton
droit”, Canadian Law
Information
Council,
1980-1982
Member of the Editorial
Board,
Revue
québécoise de droit
international, 1985-1987
Member of the Editorial
Board, Revue générale
de droit, University of
Ottawa, 1986-1987
Member of the Editorial
Board, Revue du Nouvel
Ontario,
Laurentian
University, 1988
Member of the Board of
Directors,
Société
québécoise de droit
international, 1985-1986
Regional Vice-President
(Atlantic),
American
Council of Life Insurers,
1990-1994
Member of the Comité
de révision de la Loi sur
le Barreau du NouveauBrunswick
(New
Brunswick Law Society
Act Review Committee),
New Brunswick Bar
Association, 1992-1995
Member
of
the
Canadian
Bar
Association, 1978 to
date
Member of the New
Brunswick Law Society,
1980-1995, 2008Member
Society
Canada,
of the Law
of
Upper
1986-1995.
was appointed Companion of the Order of Canada (2009). In 2010, he was
sworn as a judge of Kenya’s Interim Independent Constitutional Dispute
l’Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario. He was also
given the title of Queen’s Counsel for New Brunswick in 2013. In 2014, Mr.
Bastarache was listed as one of the Best Lawyers in Canada in the field of
appellate law.
Mr. Bastarache has sat on countless boards and committees involving legal
education and the practice of law, and was quite active in the business
community. He was a member of the editorial boards of the Revue générale
de droit international, the Revue québécoise de droit international, the Revue
générale de droit of the University of Ottawa, and the Revue du Nouvel
Ontario of Laurentian University. He was Associate Editor of the review C’est
ton droit, Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Bar Review (1998-2005), a member
of the Canadian National Group to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (20052008) and, since 2003, has been a member of the University of Ottawa’s
Common Law Honour Society.
Mr. Bastarache has edited and authored numerous publications and books
including Language Rights in Canada (Yvon Blais, 1987 and 2004 [2nd ed.]),
Les droits linguistiques au Canada (Yvon Blais, 1986, 2004 [2nd ed.], and
2013 [3rd ed.]), Précis du droit des biens réels (Yvon Blais, 1993 and 2001
[2nd ed.]), and The Law of Bilingual Interpretation (Butterworths, 2008).
2008Member of the Law
Society
of
Alberta,
1985-1993
Member of the Law
Society
of
British
Columbia, 2014Member of the Atlantic
Provinces
Economic
Council, 1992-1994
Member
of
the
Canadian
Judges
Conference, 1995-2008
Member
of
the
Canadian Institute for
the Administration of
Justice, 1995-2008
Member of the Board of
Directors
of
the
Association
internationale
des
juristes, 1997-2008
Member
of
the
Continuing
Education
Committee (Canadian
Bar Association New
Brunswick Branch and
New Brunswick Bar
Association), 1996-1997
Member of the Social
Reality
Training
Advisory
Committee,
National
Judicial
Institute, 1997
Vice-Chair,
National
Judicial Institute, 20042008
Member
of
the
Canadian
National
Group to the Permanent
Court of Arbitration (The
Hague), 2005-2008
President of the Quebec
Commission of Inquiry
on the appointment of
judges, 2012
Member of numerous
committees on legal
education
and
the
practice of law