Jean Beetz
Encyclopedia
Jean-Marie Philémon Joseph Beetz, (March 27, 1927 – September 30, 1991) was a Canadian
jurist
and puisne
justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
.
Born in Montreal
, Quebec
, the son of Jean Beetz and Jeanne Cousineau, he earned a B.A. in 1947 from the Université de Montréal
and an LL.L in 1950. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship
and received a B.A. from Oxford University in 1953. Returning to Canada he became an assistant professor teaching constitutional law at the Université de Montréal in 1953. He was appointed by Pierre Trudeau
, a former student of his, to the Quebec Court of Appeal in 1973 and was soon elevated to the Supreme Court of Canada
on January 1, 1974. He retired in 1988, and in 1989 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
and puisne
Puisne
Puisne is a legal term of art used mainly in British English meaning "inferior in rank." It is pronounced like the word puny, and the word, so spelled, has become an ordinary adjective meaning weak or undersized.The judges and barons of the common law courts at...
justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
.
Born in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, the son of Jean Beetz and Jeanne Cousineau, he earned a B.A. in 1947 from the Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
and an LL.L in 1950. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
and received a B.A. from Oxford University in 1953. Returning to Canada he became an assistant professor teaching constitutional law at the Université de Montréal in 1953. He was appointed by Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
, a former student of his, to the Quebec Court of Appeal in 1973 and was soon elevated to the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
on January 1, 1974. He retired in 1988, and in 1989 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
Judgments
Beetz's area of expertise was constitutional law. Consequently, he would often take part in major federalism decisions. More than anyone else on the Court at the time, he supported the provinces in the division of powers.List of judgments
- Société des Acadiens v. Association of ParentsSociété des Acadiens v. Association of ParentsSociété des Acadiens v. Association of Parents, [1986] 1 S.C.R. 549 is an early Supreme Court of Canada decision on minority language rights under section 19 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms...
(1986) (majority) - Beauregard v. CanadaBeauregard v. CanadaBeauregard v. Canada [1986] 2 S.C.R. 56 was a decision by the Supreme Court of Canada on judicial independence. Notably, the Court found that judicial independence is based partly in an unwritten constitution, and that some institutional independence is needed so that judges can guard the...
(1986) (dissent)