A prominent Toronto defence lawyer, Todd Ducharme, became the country's first Métis judge yesterday when federal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler appointed him to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
"We had a very moving conversation," Mr. Cotler said. "Those are the moments when you just feel inspired in this office. It was a very meaningful moment."
A veteran of many high-profile cases, including the recent Farah Khan murder trial, Judge Ducharme articled with famed defence counsel Edward Greenspan and quickly became a leading sole practitioner in his own right.
Judge Ducharme remarked in an interview that he had never considered applying for a judgeship until hearing last January that Mr. Cotler had expressed a desire to see aboriginal judges on the bench.
"I think it was very courageous for the Minister of Justice to comment on the underrepresentation of judges from the aboriginal community," he said. "I trust that I won't be the last aboriginal appointment Mr. Cotler makes."
A graduate of the University of Toronto law school and Yale University, Mr. Ducharme is a bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada and a former director of the Criminal Lawyers Association. He has served on the boards of several aboriginal associations.
Judge Ducharme has also practised or taught in Ontario, B.C. and Alberta - a breadth of experience that Mr. Cotler said earned him a very strong recommendation from those the government consulted prior to making the appointment.
"Todd is a very well-respected legal mind, both in the aboriginal and the legal community," said prominent Métis lawyer Jean Teillet. "The Métis community will certainly be very proud of him today."
Anil Kapoor, Judge Ducharme's co-counsel at the Khan trial, said his colleague is known as an exceptional cross-examiner. "He is universally respected and well thought of by trial judges, Crowns and defence counsel," he said.
"As a result of his work within his community, he has acquired a compassion for the human condition that will serve him and our community well in his role as a trial judge."
Mr. Kapoor and Judge Ducharme also worked together defending Eli Nicholas, the man dubbed the Scarborough bedroom rapist. In another highly-publicized case, Mr. Ducharme defended Francis Roy several years ago for the murder of a young Toronto girl, Alison Parrott.
John Murray, a lawyer with the Toronto firm of Heenan Blaikie, was also appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice yesterday. Mr. Murray is an expert in administrative law, labour and employment law, education law, constitutional law and litigation.
Lawyer François Doyon, was appointed to the Quebec Court of Appeal. Mr. Doyon, a graduate of Laval University, was appointed to Quebec Superior Court in 1991, and became the court's Associate Chief Judge, Criminal and Penal Division, in 2002.