The Ottawa judge who made statements about the smoking laws "outdated and ridiculous" on marijuana last November in Gatineau, hangs his toga, learned Droit.
Judicial sources did not hesitate to speak of "resignation" outright.For its part, the office of the Chief Justice of the Court of Québec, Elizabeth Corte, refuses to talk about "resignation" but confirmed that Judge Pierre Chevalier has "expressed a wish not to receive files".
The comments of the judge on the bench facts about cannabis laws are not strangers to his departure, repeated several sources.
The retired magistrate had returned as a supernumerary, in spring 2015, to help the judges in the region grappling with overburdened roles, and sometimes difficult to manage for litigants possible.
"It's not really a resignation", wanted to clarify M e Annie-Claude Bergeron, Executive Assistant to the Chief Justice. "There was a supernumerary post. And as a retired judge, he simply wanted to be removed from the list of alternates. "
The office of the Minister of Justice and Member for Gatineau, Stéphanie Vallée, did not comment. His office said not to be aware of the news.
Appointments and resignations to the judiciary should be the subject of a ministerial order published in the Gazette officielle du Québec.
On May 27, 2015, there was reading the judge to Pierre Chevalier retirement was "on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice, authorized to exercise judicial power (...) for the period from 1 st June 2015 on May 31, 2016 ".
Schedules were changed at the Gatineau courthouse. The name of the judge Pierre Chevalier are longer appears.
Its fall in output has raised many eyebrows, since a judge shall respect his reserve duty, and, according to ethics, refrain from commenting directly by the political independence concern between the three main powers (executive, legislative and judicial ).
Moreover,
Le Droit learned this fall that a complaint had been made to the Judicial Council. The agency that regulates ethics and deontology keeps this type of confidential complaint and does not comment on the case.
"The company will abet"
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November 26, Judge Pierre Chevalier, a magistrate of experience, imposed a symbolic fine of a dollar to a man Outaouais arrested for possession of 30 pot plants. With the surcharge of 30%, the total rose to $ 1.30.
The accused, Mario Larouche, 46, had told the court that he had attempted to obtain a prescription from a doctor to consume medical marijuana. He said he had turned to illegality to soothe his chronic pain.
Just weeks after coming to power the government of Justin Trudeau, who has made the legalization of cannabis an election promise, the judge commented, in public.
