(Ottawa) A committee of inquiry mandated by the Canadian Judicial Council recommends the dismissal of Quebec Superior Court Judge Gérard Dugré for his conduct that undermines public confidence in justice.
Posted at 7:54 p.m.
This committee undertook its investigation into the behavior of Judge Dugré following a series of complaints lodged against him to denounce his attitude on the bench. He was appointed to the Superior Court of Quebec in 2009.
In a voluminous 285-page report, the committee concludes that “Judge Dugré’s conduct in the courtroom undermines the public’s confidence in his ability to ensure a respectful atmosphere and therefore renders him unable to continue to perform his duties. of a judge”.
In addition to his reprehensible behavior, he is also criticized for his inability to “render judgment within a reasonable time”. A defect which “threatens the integrity of the function of judge and demonstrates his failure to fulfill his obligations towards the people who appeared before him”, decides the committee.
Among the wrongdoings held against Judge Dugré, it is noted that he threatened a father with sending him to the cell with starving rats because he had not provided certain documents to the court in a custody case. child.
The inquiry committee’s recommendation will now be submitted to a group of 17 members of the Canadian Judicial Council who will first have to analyze the report, then deliberate and in turn formulate a recommendation to the Minister of Justice on the future of the Judge Dugré.
During its investigation, the committee chaired by Chief Justice of New Brunswick, Marc Richard, and supplemented by Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories, Louise Charbonneau, and lawyer Audrey Boctor , from IML LLP, heard 60 witnesses in 38 hearing days.
Judge Dugré’s assistant testified on his behalf and told the committee that the judge “has his own style” and that he used “anecdotes or humor to put people at ease and facilitate debates. “, can we read in the report.
Moreover, the committee recognizes that “the competence of Judge Dugré is in no way called into question”. He notes that three of his decisions went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada and were upheld by the country’s highest court.
However, the speed with which files are processed is a problem in the eyes of the committee. We note that 60% of its decisions were rendered more than six months after being taken under advisement.