WHAT WAS YOUR PATH INTO LAW AND ONTO THE BENCH?

When I graduated from high school in Caraquet, New Brunswick, I definitely wasn’t planning on going into law. Music was what I was really into, so I packed my bags and headed to Université Laval for a bachelor’s degree in music. At first, I wanted to be a pianist, but in Laval I ended up falling in love with early music, and harpsichord in particular. I had the privilege of studying under Kenneth Gilbert, one of Canada’s premier harpsichordists. His class just blew me away every week. I stayed at Laval for six years before heading to Paris to pursue a career in early music and hone my harpsichord skills.

I pursued my musical activities after returning from Paris in 1973, with four children in tow. But I soon realized that I wasn’t particularly interested in teaching music. Since teaching would have to make up a large part of my music career, I started thinking about doing something else.

I was living in Moncton and wanted to stay in New Brunswick, so I decided to check out what the Université de Moncton had to offer. The one thing that really piqued my interest was law. Soon enough, I was enrolled in the university’s law school.

I was called to the bar in 1990. All four of my kids were there, and all they knew was that mom wasn’t playing music so much anymore.

That may have been true, but when I took my first criminal justice class, I knew I had found my calling. I started working at one of Moncton’s top criminal law firms and stayed with them for 11 years until I was appointed to the New Brunswick Provincial Court.

After over 20 years on the Provincial Court, with mandatory retirement looming on the horizon, I still find criminal justice as fascinating as ever. In criminal law, we see all aspects of human nature on display; it holds a mirror up to the sometimes troubling side of a society in constant flux.

WHAT EXPERIENCE IN YOUR LEGAL CAREER BEST PREPARED YOU FOR WORK ON THE BENCH?

I mainly practiced as a defence lawyer, but I also worked on contract as a Crown prosecutor on several occasions, mainly in French‑speaking jurisdictions in the Moncton area. I was lucky enough to see both sides of the legal process and have precious insight into each party’s standpoint, and I’ve always felt that this dual perspective has been a valuable asset to my work as a judge.

WHAT ADVICE TO YOU HAVE FOR COUNSEL WHO APPEAR BEFORE YOU?

Really, it comes down to one thing: be prepared. But I would also add, be courteous. Courteous to the court, obviously, but also to your colleagues and all the criminal justice system participants.

WHAT DO YOU WISH THE PUBLIC KNEW ABOUT THE JUSTICE SYSTEM?

People don’t necessarily give much thought to the justice system in their daily lives. It’s only once they come into contact with the justice system, whether as a victim or an accused, that they realize how important it is that it be fair and reliable. It is the cornerstone of the rule of law and is there to protect the common values we hold as a society.