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| Marie Deschamps | |
|---|---|
| Name | Marie Deschamps |
| Birth date | 1952-02-27 |
| Birth place | Repentigny, Quebec |
| Occupation | Jurist |
| Office | Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada |
| Term start | 2002-08-08 |
| Term end | 2012-08-07 |
| Alma mater | Université de Montréal |
Marie Deschamps is a Canadian jurist who served as a puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada from 2002 to 2012. Born in Repentigny, Quebec, she built a career in appellate litigation and public law before her appointment to Canada's highest court. After retiring from the bench she continued in public service and dispute resolution, engaging with institutions across Canada and internationally.
Deschamps was born in Repentigny, Quebec and raised in Laval, Quebec where early influences included local legal figures and civic institutions such as the Barreau du Québec and community organizations. She earned a Bachelor of Civil Law from the Université de Montréal and completed bar admission requirements overseen by the Quebec Bar and regulatory bodies in Montreal. During her studies she interacted with professors and legal scholars associated with the University of Ottawa, McGill University, and national research institutes that shaped modern Quebecois jurisprudence.
Deschamps began her practice as a litigator in Montreal with involvement in appellate courts including the Quebec Court of Appeal and appearances before administrative tribunals connected to provincial authorities in Quebec City. She served as counsel on matters that engaged the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, provincial statutes such as the Code civil du Québec, and federal statutes reviewed in the context of courts like the Federal Court of Appeal. Her work brought her into professional circles linked with the Canadian Bar Association, the Barreau du Québec, the Law Society of Upper Canada (now Law Society of Ontario), and academic contributors from the Canadian Judicial Council.
Appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien in 2002, she replaced Justice John C. Major and sat alongside justices including Beverley McLachlin, Louise Arbour, Frank Iacobucci, Ian Binnie, and Louis LeBel. During her decade on the bench she participated in panels deciding cases that involved the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, federal-provincial division of powers disputes with reference to the Constitution Act, 1867, and major statutory interpretations touching on statutes administered by the Department of Justice Canada and reviewed by the Privy Council Office. Her tenure ran through administrations of Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin, and Stephen Harper, and through periods of significant legal reform debated in the House of Commons of Canada and the Senate of Canada.
After retiring in 2012, Deschamps accepted roles in inquiry, arbitration, and academic engagement. She chaired or contributed to inquiries and commissions involving institutions such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial ministries in Ontario, and international bodies with connections to the United Nations and the Organization of American States. Deschamps held affiliations with universities including the Université de Montréal, McGill University, and policy institutes like the Institute for Research on Public Policy and worked with mediation organizations that liaise with the Canadian Judicial Council and the International Bar Association.
On the Supreme Court of Canada bench, Deschamps wrote and joined opinions addressing issues such as criminal law, administrative law, and constitutional rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Her jurisprudence intersected with precedents established in cases involving principles from decisions by justices like Dickson CJ, Lamer CJ, and McLachlin CJ, and engaged doctrines developed in rulings from the Quebec Court of Appeal and the Ontario Court of Appeal. Decisions she contributed to influenced subsequent litigation in provincial courts, federal appellate courts, and shaped arguments presented before bodies such as the Supreme Court of the United States and comparative courts in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Deschamps has been recognized by legal societies and academic institutions for her service, receiving honors from organizations including the Order of Canada-affiliated bodies, provincial bar associations like the Barreau du Québec, and universities such as the Université de Montréal and McGill University. She has been the recipient of awards presented by the Canadian Bar Association, the Law Society of Upper Canada (now Law Society of Ontario), and is frequently cited in compilations of notable Canadian jurists alongside figures like Beverley McLachlin, Louise Arbour, and Antonio Lamer.
Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada Category:Université de Montréal alumni