OTTAWA, July 31, 2003 -- The Honourable Martin Cauchon, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the appointment of the Honourable Morris J· Fish of Montréal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Mr. Justice Fish obtained a B.A. and a B.C.L. from McGill University in 1959 and 1962 respectively. He continued his post-graduate studies in Constitutional Law and Public Liberties at l'Université de Paris in 1963 and received a Doctorate of laws honoris causa from McGill University in 2001. He was admitted to the Bar of Québec in 1964, and then to the Bar of Prince Edward Island and the Bar of Alberta. As well, he was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1984.

The Honourable Morris Fish was appointed a Judge of the Québec Court of Appeal in 1989. Prior to becoming a judge, he was a partner in the Montréal firm of Cohen, Leithman, Kaufman, Yarosky & Fish, which later became Yarosky, Fish, Zigman, Isaacs & Daviault.

Beginning in 1969, he taught law, first at l'Université de Montréal, and later, at the University of Ottawa and McGill University. Since 1996, he has chaired the Advisory Board of the Faculty of Law at McGill University and, since 2000, the Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee for Québec. Mr. Justice Fish has also been a journalist in the past and is the author of various legal publications.

Mr. Justice Fish replaces the Honourable Charles D. Gonthier who is retiring. The appointment comes into effect August 5, 2003.

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Ref.:

Mike Murphy
Director of Communications
Minister's Office
(613) 992-4621