Antonio Lamer Case Study

The importance of the Supreme Court of Canada became magnified following the introduction of the Charter of Rights. Present during this power flux was Antonio Lamer, a former Judge of the Quebec division of the Court of Appeal. Lamer served as both a Justice and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during his two decades on the bench. While serving as a Justice, Lamer was responsible for re-constituting the criminal powers of the federal government However, Chief Justice Lamer will be remembered best for the Quebec Reference and the protection of individuals from security forces. Also, in the implementation of sweeping Aboriginal reform that widened the ownership rights of Aboriginal peoples.
Prior to the appointment of Justice Lamer to the …show more content…
The Canadian appointment process is generally characterized by its apolitical nature, focusing on the meritocratic nature of appointees rather than partisan considerations (Ostberg et al. 2004, 526). After being elevated to the Supreme court in 1980 (Dodek and Jutras 2009, xlvii), Justice Antonio Lamer was appointed Chief Justice, Lamer reigned over the court throughout the 1990s (McCormick 2003, 97; McKay 2001, 265; Dodek and Jutras 2009, xlvii). Incidentally, this also continued the happenstance tradition of alternating Chief Justices between language groups (Aylward 2017). Lamer’s appointment to Chief Justice came during a period of new judicial appointments, with virtually the entire court being replaced prior to gaining the Chief Justiceship (McCormick 1999, 97; McCormick 2003, 104; Dodek and Jutras 2009, xlviii). However, during Lamer’s reign as Chief Justice, the court remained highly static (McCormick 2003, 104). This period became identifiable as that of the ‘Lamer Court’ (McKay 2001, 265; Dodek and Jutras 2009, xlvii). Justice Lamer’s appointment preceded the introduction of the Canadian Charter of Rights (Dodek and Jutras 2009, xlvii; Roach 2000, 22). As such, the Justice had intimate knowledge of the evolving role being payed by the Supreme Court within the constitutional context (Dodek and Jutras 2009, xlvii; Roach 2000, 22). Once appointed

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