In this intimate volume, Michel Bastarache reveals details of his youth in Acadia and his multiple professional roles before becoming the first Acadian justice to sit on the Supreme Court of Canada. In a letter addressed to his two children who died from an incurable disease, Me. Bastarache recounts his constant fight for equality between francophone and anglophone communities. He reminisces on his commitment among groups protecting francophones outside Québec, then on his careers as teacher, civil servant, lawyer, and juge. In this story he takes the reader backstage to his most important causes and he reveals some of the secrets of the highest court in Canada. Me. Bastarache weighs in on the controversy surrounding the Inquiry Commission on the process for appointing judges of the Court of Québec, as well as his mediator work for reconciliation and compensation of alleged victims of sexual abuse by ex-priests in New Brunswick.
This book is published in French.
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Dans une lettre qu'il adresse à ses deux enfants, morts d'une maladie incurable, Michel Bastarache se rappelle son enfance en Acadie puis sa carrière, jusqu'à devenir le premier juge acadien à siéger à la Cour suprême du Canada. Me Bastarache raconte sa constante lutte pour l'égalité des communautés francophone et anglophone. Il revient sur son engagement au sein des groupes de défense des francophones hors Québec, puis sur sa carrière de professeur, de fonctionnaire, d'avocat et de juge. Dans ce récit, il amène le lecteur dans les coulisses de ses plus importantes causes et révèle certains secrets du plus haut tribunal canadien. Me Bastarache réagit également à la polémique entourant la Commission d'enquête sur le processus de nomination des juges du Québec et sur son travail à titre de médiateur dans le processus de réconciliation et de compensation pour les victimes alléguées d'agressions sexuelles par d'anciens prêtres au Nouveau-Brunswick.
Ce livre est publié en français.
About the Author: The Honourable Michel Bastarache, C.C., Q.C., studied at four universities (B.A., LL. L., LL. B., D.E.S.), holds eigth honorary degrees and was a member of six different Bar associations. He worked for the governments of New Brunswick and Canada. He worked in succession in the roles of Vice-President and Marketing Director at Assomption-Vie, President and Executive Officer of Assomption-Vie and its subsidiaries, law professor and Dean at the Law School of Université de Moncton, as well as Associate Dean at the Faculty of Law - Common Law Section at the University of Ottawa. He practised law in Ottawa and Moncton. Appointed to the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick in 1995, he came to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1997. Since his retirement in 2008 he acts as counsel for two law firms. He sat on the interim Constitutional Court of Kenya in 2010, then presided over the Inquiry Commission on the process for appointing judges of the Court of Québec (2010-2011). He also served as independent adjudicator for compensation of victims of sexual abuse in the Bathurst and Moncton dioceses. He currently serves as independent auditor for reconciliation in relation to sexual harassment claims at the RCMP. He is a member of the Administrative Tribunal of the Organization of American States. He is also the editor and main author of three books. Lastly, he was awarded a dozen prizes and titles, among them Companion of the Order of Canada and officer of the Legion of Honour.
Antoine Trépanier is journalist for CBC in Ottawa. He was bureau chief of provincial affairs at a newspaper in New Brunswick, then reporter for CBC in Moncton. He graduated from the University of Ottawa.
