Retired judge Jacques Chamberland headed the Commission of Inquiry on the Protection of the Confidentiality of Journalistic Sources. Michel Lacombe met this man who, during his career, particularly liked his position as Deputy Minister of Justice.
“We are in a smarter position, if you will, than our position as a judge”, affirmed one who held this position for five years before being appointed judge in the Court of Appeal in 1993, where he remained 28 years old. .
The Commission of Inquiry to the Protection of the Confidentiality of Journalistic Sources is committed “to police investigation practices that put at risk the confidentiality of journalistic sources.” This resulted in legislative changes, as the government passed laws to protect journalism resources. “The report that my fellow Commissioners and I made was well received. The report itself is therefore not the subject of a debate ”, Jacques Chamberland noted.
Dedicate your life to the law
Jacques Chamberland does not know why he took the path of law. “There is no lawyer in my family,” he said. His passion for law, conveyed by influential and inspired law professors, came slowly. “I had a utilitarian vision of the law. “
Around 1968, Jacques Chamberland met Pierre Deniger on the university banks and they became friends. In 1970, the latter recommended him for his first job as a lawyer. Around 1987-1988, Pierre Deniger repeated his gesture, but in the office of Prime Minister Robert Bourassa. Jacques Chamberland became Deputy Minister of Justice in April 1988.
A few months later, in 1989, the Chantal Daigle affair flared up and grew rapidly; it was heard by the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court last summer. “Mrs. Daigle is in the Supreme Court to revoke an order prohibiting her from having an abortion,” Jacques Chamberland explained. Surprise: Chantal Daigle had an abortion during the request. “Ms.’s lawyer did not know. Daigle had his client abort, ”recalled the judge, who of course followed these trials closely.
This welfare is exciting in public opinion. A film and a teleserye are also being made. “Knocking [par la Cour suprême]it’s part of the rules of the game, ”Jacques Chamberland said.
Also during this program, Jacques Chamberland discusses access to justice, including funding legal aid.
Source: Radio-Canada
