A committee of inquiry set up by the Canadian Judicial Council recommends that a Quebec judge who has repeatedly made inappropriate comments and delays be removed from office.
“The behavior of the judge [Gérard] Dugré is eroding public confidence to the point where he is unable to perform his role as a judge,” concluded the committee, chaired by New Brunswick Chief Justice Marc Richard.
In the past, Le Journal has investigated the many grammatical errors and antics made by Judge Dugré of the Quebec Superior Court, which have been the subject of complaints in seven separate files.
In its 285-page report today, the committee of inquiry accuses him of an “aggressive and unpleasant” attitude towards lawyers and of “condescending, condescending and inappropriate” statements.
During the hearings about him, which lasted 38 days, about 60 witnesses and 46 hours of recordings were heard.
In a 2017 trial recording, the judge was heard asking, “Hasn’t your client been charged with sexual assault yet? joked a lawyer whose client signed deals for the Just for Laughs festival.
way too long
Aside from his inappropriate humor, the committee harshly criticized Justice Dugré’s continued delays in delivering sentencing despite multiple calls to order.
These undue delays “threaten the integrity of the judicial office and demonstrate its failure to fulfill its obligations to those who appeared before it,” we read.
Quebec Supreme Court Chief Justice Jacques R. Fournier said during his testimony that these delays have been a “chronic problem” for him since he took office in 2009.
In the worst case, Judge Dugré took 660 days (a year and nine months) to make his decision.
17 members of the Canadian Judicial Council must now review the committee’s report and decide on the recommendation, which will be made to the Attorney General.
Pending a decision, Judge Dugré’s legal defense costs and his annual salary of more than $300,000 will be borne entirely by taxpayers.
– With Jules Richer
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