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Law Times • November 12, 2018 Page 5 www.lawtimesnews.com Role of dean 'incompatible with judicial office' Taking interim Lakehead position violated act: CJC BY AIDAN MACNAB For Law Times T he Canadian Judicial Council's probe into Superior Court Justice George Patrick Smith has ended with a CJC review panel finding he contravened the Judges Act but that he acted in good faith and had a genuine desire to help Lakehead Univer- sity by serving as interim law dean. The panel referred the case to Senior Associate Chief Jus- tice Robert Pidgeon, who agreed with the panel. Though the conduct review panel found Smith violated s. 55 of the Judges Act by bringing his judicial position into an area of public debate and controversy, he will not be removed from the bench. Smith, a supernumerary judge from Thunder Bay, Ont., was given leave to take up an interim role as dean of the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lake- head University, after the former dean resigned and accused the school of systemic racism. Indigenous leaders criticized the school for appointing the non-Indigenous Smith, who resigned as the CJC initiated a review. "My client and I are very pleased that the Canadian Ju- dicial Council has recognized that no further action should be taken and that Justice Smith was motivated throughout to serve the university and that he acted in good faith," says Brian Gover, Smith's lawyer and partner at Stockwoods LLP. "On the other hand, we are still quite concerned about the unsatisfactory process that the Canadian Judicial Council has followed here." Gover is dissatisfied with the panel's decision to issue its de- cision while there was an out- standing application for judicial review and says he has a motion to stay the decision that consti- tuted the review panel in the first place. That motion was scheduled for last month but adjourned to Nov. 20. Gover says the CJC ignored the principle that tribunals such as itself should "stand down" while there's an outstanding court application. He plans to proceed with an application for judicial review, amended to include an applica- tion to quash part of the CJC's Nov. 5 decision. They are also seeking to have the CJC produce its entire file on Smith. The view that Smith involved his judicial office in an area of public debate and controversy "just lacks an air of reality that that assertion really lacks any foundation in the facts," Gover says. "My client, of course, has had this hanging over his head for some time and no criticism of him is warranted at all," he says. "This decision really calls into question what judges can do in their personal lives." The CJC review panel found Smith in violation of s. 55 of the Judges Act, which requires a judge not "directly or indirectly . . . engage in any occupation or business other than his or her judicial duties" but must devote themselves "exclusively to those judicial duties." Smith's role as law dean was "incompatible with judicial of- fice," says Norman Sabourin, executive director and senior general counsel of the CJC. "Essentially, the very notion of being involved in societal de- bates other than those that are around the administration of justice proper are just not con- sistent with the dignity of judi- cial office," he says. In April, Angelique Eagle- Woman resigned as dean of the Bora Laskin School of Law at Lakehead University, saying she was the victim of systemic rac- ism at the law school. Then, in May, Smith was ap- pointed as interim dean. Some criticized the move, including Derek Fox, deputy grand chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation. Fox said the school failed to consult Indigenous groups and cited Smith's sentencing of a chief and other members of north- western Ontario's Kitchenuh- maykoosib Inninuwug Council to prison for contempt of court for protesting mining develop- ment in their territory. Smith resigned from his in- terim position as the CJC began a review and stated he might be removed from the bench. The review panel said Smith has an ethical obligation to avoid becoming embroiled in a public controversy, which could tar- nish the dignity of judicial office and could lead to litigation com- ing before the court of which he is a member. The review panel also found fault in the fact that the status of Smith's judicial role was be- ing used to enhance the prestige of the school. The review report states as a limitation on a judge's extrajudicial activities avoiding the perception that the judge is lending their status to raise the credibility of an outside organi- zation. Section 55 of the Judges Act prohibits a judge from an occu- pation or business outside their judicial duties, but Lee Akazaki, partner at Gilbertson Davis LLP, says the panel took much too narrow a view of a "judicial duty." "Law school belongs to a con- tinuum that leads to the legal profession [and] your member- ship in the legal profession, and the court has a duty to regulate lawyers," he says. LT NEWS JUDICIAL VACANCY ONTARIO COURT OF JUSTICE SUDBURY The Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee advises the Attorney General of Ontario on the appointment of Judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, and invites applications for a judicial position in Sudbury. This appointment involves presiding over criminal and family law matters (approximately 50% criminal and 50% family) and also involves travel within the regional boundaries as assigned by the Regional Senior Justice and/or the Chief Justice. The minimum requirement to apply to be a Judge in the Ontario Court of Justice is ten years completed membership as a barrister and solicitor at the Bar of one of the Provinces or Territories of Canada. All candidates must apply either by submitting 14 copies of the current (July 2017) completed Judicial Candidate Information Form in the first instance or by a short letter (14 copies) if the form has been submitted within the previous 12 months. Should you wish to change any information in your application, you must send in 14 copies of a fully revised Judicial Candidate Information Form. If you wish to apply and need a current Judicial Candidate Information Form, or if you would like further information, please contact: Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee Tel: (416) 326-4060 Fax: (416) 212-7316 Website: www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/jaac/ All applications, either sent by courier, mail or hand delivery, must be sent to: Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee c/o Ministry of Government and Consumer Services Mail Delivery 77 Wellesley Street West, Room M2B-88 Macdonald Block, Queen's Park Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1N3 Applications must be on the current prescribed form and must be TYPEWRITTEN or COMPUTER GENERATED and RECEIVED BY 4:30 p.m. on Friday, November 30, 2018. CANDIDATES ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE 14 COPIES OF THEIR APPLICATION FORM OR LETTER. A Fax copy will be accepted only if 14 copies of the application or letter are sent concurrently by overnight courier. Applications received after this date WILL NOT be considered. The Judiciary of the Ontario Court of Justice should reflect the diversity of the population it serves. Applications from members of equality-seeking groups are encouraged. POSTE À POURVOIR AU SEIN DE LA MAGISTRATURE COUR DE JUSTICE DE L'ONTARIO SUDBURY Le Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature conseille le Procureur général de l'Ontario sur les nominations de juges à la Cour de justice de l'Ontario et invite les personnes intéressées à présenter leur demande au poste de juge à Sudbury. Cette nomination comprend la présidence d'affaires de droit criminel et de droit de la famille (environ 50 % droit criminel et 50 % droit de la famille) et nécessite également des déplacements à l'intérieur des limites régionales, selon les assignations du juge principal régional ou du juge en chef. Pour pouvoir poser sa candidature à un poste de juge à la Cour de justice de l'Ontario, il faut, comme condition minimale, avoir été inscrit comme avocat-plaidant et procureur au barreau de l'une des provinces ou de l'un des territoires du Canada pendant au moins dix ans. Tous les candidats et candidates doivent poser leur candidature soit, dans le premier cas, en présentant le Formulaire de renseignements sur le candidat/la candidate à la magistrature courant (juillet 2017), soit en envoyant une courte lettre (en 14 exemplaires) si le formulaire a été présenté au cours des 12 mois précédents. En cas de changements à apporter à un formulaire déjà envoyé, le candidat ou la candidate doit envoyer à nouveau 14 exemplaires du formulaire de renseignements corrigé. Si vous voulez poser votre candidature et que vous avez besoin d'un Formulaire de renseignements sur le candidat/la candidate à la magistrature courant, ou encore si vous souhaitez obtenir de plus amples renseignements, veuillez communiquer avec : Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature Téléphone : (416) 326-4060 Télécopieur : (416) 212-7316 Site Web : www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/fr/jaac/ Toutes les demandes envoyées par service de messagerie, par la poste ou en main propre doivent être soumises à l'adresse suivante : Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature a/s Ministère des Services gouvernementaux et des Services aux consommateurs - Services de distribution du courrier 77, rue Wellesley Ouest, salle M2B-88 Édifice Macdonald, Queen's Park Toronto (Ontario) M7A 1N3 Les demandes de candidature doivent être déposées par l'entremise du formulaire prescrit courant et DACTYLOGRAPHIÉES ou CRÉÉES PAR ORDINATEUR et reçues au plus tard à 16 h 30 le vendredi 30 novembre 2018. LES CANDIDATS ET CANDIDATES DOIVENT FOURNIR 14 EXEMPLAIRES DE LEUR FORMULAIRE OU DE LEUR LETTRE DE CANDIDATURE. Une télécopie ne sera acceptée que si 14 exemplaires du formulaire ou de la lettre de candidature sont également envoyés par service de messagerie de 24 heures. On n'accordera AUCUNE considération aux candidatures reçues après cette date. La magistrature provinciale doit refléter la diversité de la population qu'elle sert. Nous encourageons les membres de groupes de promotion de l'égalité à présenter une demande. Untitled-4 1 2018-11-06 3:03 PM Brian Gover, who acted on behalf of Justice Patrick Smith during a probe by the Canadian Judicial Council, says they are 'quite concerned' by the council's actions.

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