Department of Justice

MR. JUSTICE LOUIS LE BEL APPOINTED
TO THE SUPREME COURT OF CANADA

OTTAWA, December 22, 1999 -- The Honourable Anne McLellan, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the appointment of the Honourable Mr. Justice Louis Le Bel, a Judge of the Quebec Court of Appeal, to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Mr. Justice Le Bel graduated in law from Laval University in 1961. He obtained a Master's Degree from the University of Toronto in Labour Law and Comparative Law; he also was granted a graduate diploma in Private Law from Laval University. Mr. Justice Le Bel was called to the Bar of Quebec in 1962.

Prior to his appointment to the Quebec Court of Appeal in Quebec, Mr. Justice Le Bel practised law, primarily in the area of administrative and labour law, with the firm of Grondin, Le Bel, Poudrier in Quebec.

During his time in practice, Mr. Justice Le Bel was a visiting professor in the Master's Program of the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law and an instructor for the Industrial Relations Master's Program at Laval University. He is the author of several articles on labour law and civil law and co-author of Droit du travail en vigueur au Québec, reissued by the Laval University Press in 1991 under the name Droit du travail.

Mr. Justice Le Bel was Vice President of the Quebec Bar, and became the Bâtonnier in 1983. He is a former member of la Corporation de l'aide juridique de Québec and various committes of the Bar. Mr. Justice Le Bel served as Director of the Quebec Bar Review Committee from 1979 to 1984 and since 1996, he has been a member of the Editorial Board of the Canadian Bar Review. From 1987 to 1997, Mr. Justice Le Bel has been a member of the Conseil administratif de la societé québecoise d'informations juridiques.

This appointment takes effect January 7, 2000.

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