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Profile
Joseph Donohue
Asuujutit
-uvanga Joe
A Sarnia judge who volunteers
on the bench in Nunavut
discovers the human spirit
thrives in the frozen north.
By Yvette Zandbergen
SHAWN JEFFORDS
A
zeal for justice and a love of culture
and history landed Ontario Superior Court Justice Joseph Donohue in
Nunavut twice last year.
“Many people who think of
Nunavut think of what’s in these books,” he
said, holding up glossy travel brochures featuring polar bears. But there is much more to the
hamlet of Rankin Inlet, located high on the
north shore of Hudson Bay.
Justice Donohue is a volunteer deputy judge
in Canada’s newest and largest federal territory.
His passion for law and fairness brought him to
a place with an exceptional sense of community
where people rely on one another and justice
can be delivered in novel ways.
In a region where jails are severely overcrowded, judges have to get creative. For
example, two offenders were ordered to hunt
and harvest a caribou for elders unable to
hunt themselves; in another case, the offender
was ordered to cut and deliver ice blocks to
elders for drinking water. Like everything else
in the 2,000-person community, court is an
inclusive affair and it’s held in whatever facility is available. In fact, Justice Donohue, a
former basketball coach, was amused to find
himself conducting proceedings on an actual
basketball court. Proceedings are interpreted
and village elders are available to advise the
judge about dispositions.
Janvier · Février 2011
Ontario Superior Court Justice Joseph Donohue brings his
passion for justice and his love of Celtic accordion music to
the people of Nunavut.
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La justice au Nunavut
Un juge bénévole découvre l’âme humaine bien vivante du Nunavut.
P
assionné par la justice, la culture et
l’histoire, Joseph Donohue, juge de la
Cour supérieure de justice de l’Ontario, est arrivé au village de Rankin Inlet
du Nunavut l’an dernier.
Le juge-avocat adjoint Donohue est bénévole dans le plus récent et plus vaste territoire fédéral canadien, où le sens communautaire est exceptionnel.
Les prisons y étant surpeuplées, les juges
doivent être créatifs. Un verdict consistait à
demander à deux contrevenants de chasser
à la place d’aînés impotents ou à demander à un autre contrevenant de préparer et
livrer à des aînés un bloc de glace pour les
approvisionner en eau potable.
Dans cette communauté de 2000 personnes, la cour peut être administrée n’importe où.
Le juge Donohue s’est déjà retrouvé en
train de statuer sur un terrain de basketball. Les procédures sont traduites aux
aînés du village, lesquels se rendent disponibles pour fournir des conseils au juge.
Nul ne panique si une personne concernée
ne s’est pas encore rendue à l’audience. Il
suffit de la sommer à la radio et, mise au
courant par ses voisins, elle finit par accourir. En moyenne, le juge Donohue s’occupait de 24 dossiers par jour à Rankin
Inlet: crimes en lien avec la consommation
d’alcool, les effractions, les incidents à domicile et les agressions.
Des juges ont été bénévoles au Nunavut
depuis sa création en 1999. C’est le juge
Robert Kilpatrick qui a proposé à Joseph
Donohue d’y travailler.
La Cour de justice du Nunavut est la
seule cour unifiée (supérieure et territoriale) du Canada. Avant l’établissement du
Nunavut comme territoire distinct, c’était
les organismes séparés des Territoires du
Grand Nord — les cours supérieures et territoriales — qui assuraient l’administration
de la justice.
Juge de la Cour supérieure à Sarnia en
1999 après 28 ans de pratique, Joseph
Donohue était l’une des recrues pour un
bénévolat d’une semaine au Nunavut. L’an
dernier, il a séjourné à Rankin Inlet, à
If someone fails to appear, no one panics. “They would
announce over community radio that court was in session.
Everyone shows up 15 minutes later. And their neighbours
would tell them [that they are due in court],” he said.
In Rankin Inlet, he presided over about 24 cases a day, most
of them alcohol-related crimes, including break-and-enters,
domestic incidents and assaults.
He mingled with residents after
work and laughs when he recalls
his attempt to converse in
Inuktitut with an elderly Inuk:
Asuujutit (Hello)
-uvanga Joe (My name is Joe)
Kinauvit (What is your name?)
— Yasmina El Jamaï
this opportunity are welcome to contact Kilpatrick).
The Nunavut Court of Justice is the superior and territorial court of Nunavut. Prior to its establishment as a separate territory, justice was administered under separate bodies of the Northwest Territories — the Supreme and
Territorial Courts.
Justice Donohue, who was
appointed to the Ontario
Superior Court in Sarnia in 1999
after 28 years in practice, was
one of the recruits for a oneweek volunteer stint in Nunavut.
Last year, he travelled to Rankin
Inlet (population 2,000) and
Chesterfield Inlet (population
200) and did a stint in
Pangnirtung on Baffin Island. In
June, he will travel to Resolute
Bay, Nunavut under the Midnight Sun and in November
returns to Pangnirtung in daylong darkness.
“I am fascinated by culture, history and geography and
these people as Canadians who have continued to live in such
severe environments,” he says.
Donohue’s deep experience in criminal law, his personal
courage and conviction and his rapport with people make
him extremely effective in his volunteer role, says Carl Fleck,
“I am fascinated by culture,
history and geography
and these people
as Canadians who have
continued to live in
such severe environments.”
The man listened patiently as
his new friend tentatively tried
out the new language. Then he
responded in perfect English:
“So, you are learning to speak
Inuktitut?”
Volunteer judges have played a role in Nunavut since the
territory’s inception. Justice Donohue is one of 54 deputy
judges, all drawn from superior courts of the provinces. He
learned about the opportunity from Justice Robert Kilpatrick,
who was appointed to the circuit court at the creation of
Nunavut in 1999 (Other Superior Court Justices interested in
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Chesterfield Inlet, puis à Pangnirtung à l’île
de Baffin. Fasciné par la culture, l’histoire
et la géographie de Canadiens vivant en
milieu hostile, il tente d’apprendre la
langue inuk.
L’expérience approfondie du juge
Donohue en droit criminel, son courage et
sa détermination font de lui un juge très
efficace. Il a aussi une grande capacité d’écoute, selon Me Carl Fleck de Sarnia.
En outre, il a été en relation avec les
Premières Nations de trois réserves du village de Lambton.
Joseph Donohue aime lire, ramer et jouer
de la musique celte sur son accordéon.
Engagé dans plusieurs activités de foi interconfessionnelle, observateur d’oiseaux et
d’étoiles, il aime en plus jouer la comédie.
En plus de son bénévolat, il envisage de
conseiller une équipe canadienne sur les systèmes judiciaires des pays du Tiers-Monde.
De retour à Sarnia, il a été frappé par le
contraste culturel entre le Nord et le Sud.
Il estime que même si les crimes au
Nunavut sont deux fois plus élevés qu’en
Ontario, les gens du Nunavut ont le sens
du partage et ne sont pas soucieux de
préserver leurs choses, ce qui évite les
querelles. N
N AT I O N A L
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a personal injury lawyer with Fleck & Daigneault in Sarnia,
Ont. He knew Justice Donohue’s father, William A.
Donohue, who served as a Supreme Court Judge in Ontario
from 1965 until 1979 and says Donohue is a lot like his wellrespected father.
“Joe is a good listener; not all judges are listeners. Joe has
a good ear, he’s thoughtful and has proven his mettle on the
bench,” Fleck says, noting that
Donohue also knows the criminal law system better than most
justices appointed today.
And he believes Donohue’s
characteristics, along with the
fact that he hails from a small
community like Sarnia, make him
a natural fit. “He is in touch with
the common folk. He would fit
into that community.”
Justice Donohue is a certified
specialist in criminal law — he
deals with a larger proportion of criminal matters on the
bench — and has extensive experience dealing with indigenous
people from his contact with first nations from three reserves
in Lambton County.
When he isn’t on the bench, he enjoys his thousands of
books and the “little boats” that he likes to paddle and row.
He also enjoys playing Celtic music on his button accordion,
a talent he demonstrated during an event in Nunavut.
He is involved in his own community through interdenominational faith activities, birding and star watching and
enjoys acting. Sarnia lawyer Don Elliott, who first met
Justice Donohue at the bar admission course in Toronto,
remembers his convincing performance in the Lambton Law
Association’s production of Twelve Angry Men: Justice
Donohue played Juror Eight, a liberal-minded, patient seeker of truth and justice.
Donohue plans to continue
volunteering and is on a list to
act as an adviser to a Canadian
team on emerging judicial systems in Third World countries.
But his memories of Nunavut
stay with him.
Once home, Donohue was
struck by the contrast of cultures
between the North and South. Although crime statistics in Nunavut
are twice as high as in Ontario,
the human spirit still thrives.
“Down here we have too much property, too many belongings which get people into squabbles. These people are
free of the preoccupation of trying to preserve their stuff. We
use too much judicial energy in resolving property disputes.”
Up North, they are prone to share. N
“They would announce
over community radio that
court was in session.
Everyone shows up 15
minutes later.”
Yvette Zandbergen is a freelance writer and photographer in Wallaceburg, Ont.
O F F I C I A L N O T I C E / AV I S O F F I C I E L
N
Walter S. Tarnopolsky Human Rights Award
Deadline: April 30, 2011
Contact: Dr. Pat Whiting, executive director, International
Commission of Jurists, Canadian Section at
[email protected]
Cecilia I. Johnstone Award
Deadline: April 1, 2011
Contact: Women Lawyers Forum Liaison Jennifer
Lalonde at [email protected].
Bertha Wilson Touchstone
Deadline: May 1, 2011
Contact: Standing Committee on Equity Liaison Rebecca
Bromwich at [email protected].
John Tait Award of Excellence
Deadline: April 29, 2011
Contact: Public Sector Lawyers Forum Liaison Catherine
Bisson at [email protected]
The Louis St-Laurent Award of Excellence
Deadline: May 31, 2011
Contact: Senior Director of Communications Stephen
Hanson at [email protected]
The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Conference Awards
SOGIC Ally
Deadline: April 29, 2011
Contact: SOGIC Liaison Corinna Robitaille at
[email protected]
Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Law
Deadline: May 31, 2011
Contact: Senior Director of Communications Stephen
Hanson at [email protected]
Award nominations
ominations are now open for awards recognizing the
contributions of CBA members. Here are the nomination deadlines with contact information for the designated liaisons.
SOGIC Hero
Deadline: April 29, 2011
Contact: SOGIC Liaison Corinna Robitaille at
[email protected]
Janvier · Février 2011
James H. Bocking Memorial Award
Deadline: July 30, 2011
Contact: Holly Doerksen, Director, National Sections at
[email protected]
For more information, call the national office at 1-800267-8860 or visit www.cba.org/awards.
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