In the Lawyers Weekly, September 07 2012 issue

By Christopher Guly

ttawa lawyer Guy Pratte’s resignation on August 27 as independent counsel in the Canadian Judicial Council’s (CJC’s) inquiry into the conduct of Associate Chief Justice Lori Douglas could “significantly delay” an already unprecedented hearing, according to a lawyer familiar with public inquiries.

“I haven’t seen a situation where there’s a fight over evidence between counsel appointed by the council and panel members through their own counsel,” said Quebec City lawyer Simon Ruel, “and Pratte’s resignation just adds to this difficult situation.”

Ruel served as deputy chief counsel to former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Michel Bastarache’s 2011 inquiry into the appointment process of Quebec judges, and previously served as senior commission counsel to the public inquiry on sex abuse in Cornwall, Ont., and senior government counsel in the inquiry into the federal sponsorship scandal.

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