Ian Solloway
\nChair, 60th Anniversary Committee<\/b><\/p>\n
OPENING REMARKS<\/p>\n
Monsieur le Juge en Chef du Qu\u00e9bec, Messieurs les Juges en Chefs, Mesdames et Messieurs les Juges de toutes juridictions, invit\u00e9es d\u2019honneurs, coll\u00e8gues, chers amis. Bienvenue, Good evening and \u201cBruchim Habaim\u201d.<\/p>\n
As chair of the 60th Anniversary of The Lord Reading Law Society, it is an honour to be standing before all of you tonight on this most special occasion in the history of this great Society and to welcome you to our 60th Anniversary.<\/p>\n
\u00c0 titre de pr\u00e9sident de 60e Anniversaire de l\u2019Association du Droit Lord Reading, c\u2019est avec beaucoup de fiert\u00e9 que je vous accueille ce soir \u00e0 notre d\u00eener-gala soulignant le 60e anniversaire de notre Association.<\/p>\n
Cet anniversaire est l\u2019occasion d\u2019\u00e9voquer des grands moments qui ont marqu\u00e9 plus d\u2019un demi-si\u00e8cle d\u2019activit\u00e9s et d\u2019implication de l\u2019Association du Droit Lord Reading au sein de la communaut\u00e9 juridique du Qu\u00e9bec et de rendre hommage \u00e0 nos membres d\u2019hier et d\u2019aujourd\u2019hui qui ont jou\u00e9 un r\u00f4le vibrant pour cr\u00e9er une Association o\u00fb le mot \u00ab excellence \u00bb d\u00e9crit tout ce que nous faisons.<\/p>\n
Before briefly sharing my thoughts with you on the significance of this most special occasion in the history of the Lord Reading Law Society, I would be remiss if I did not recognize the presence of certain special guests who are with us this evening.<\/p>\n
Sont pr\u00e9sents parmi nous ce soir, certains invit\u00e9es distingu\u00e9s que j\u2019ai l\u2019honneur de vous mentionner. Je vous demanderais de retenir vos applaudissements jusqu\u2019\u00e0 la fin \u00ab de l\u2019appel du r\u00f4le \u00bb:<\/p>\n
1) L\u2019Honorable Michel Robert, juge en chef du Qu\u00e9bec;
\n2) L\u2019Honorable Fran\u00e7ois Rolland, juge en chef de la Cour sup\u00e9rieure du Qu\u00e9bec ;
\n3) L\u2019Honorable Guy Gagnon,\u00a0 juge en chef de la Cour du Qu\u00e9bec;
\n4) L\u2019Honorable Pierre Mondor, juge-pr\u00e9sident de la Cour municipale de Montr\u00e9al ;
\n5) L\u2019Honorable Andr\u00e9 Wery, juge en chef adjoint de la cour sup\u00e9rieure du Qu\u00e9bec ;
\n6) The Honourable Irwin Cotler, Member of Parlament for Mount-Royal and former Minister of Justice for Canada;
\n7) The Honourable Senator Yoine Goldstein;
\n8) Me Stephen G. Schenke, B\u00e2tonnier de Montr\u00e9al;
\n9) Me Michel Doyon, B\u00e2tonnier sortant du Barreau de Qu\u00e9bec ;
\n10) Me Philippe-Andre Tessier, President de Jeune Barreau du Quebec ;
\n11)\u00a0 Me Marie- Laure Leclercq , qui represente le Barreau Canadien- Division du Quebec ;
\n12) Me Anne-Marie Boisvert, ancienne doyenne et professeur titulaire de la facult\u00e9 du droit de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al;
\n12) Me Nicholas Kasirer, Dean of Law, McGill University;
\n13)\u00a0 Mr. Stephen R. Greenwald, Esq., President, American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, who is with us tonight from New York;<\/p>\n
I want to also recognize 2 of our honourary life members who are present this evening:
\n\u2022 L\u2019Honorable Pierre A. Michaud, ancien Juge en Chef du Qu\u00e9bec; and
\n\u2022 The Honourable Lawrence A. Poitras, former Chief Justice of the Quebec Superior Court;
\nand of course, our distinguished keynote speaker and dear friend, The Honourable Justice Morris Fish and his family.<\/p>\n
Je note \u00e9galement avec plaisir la pr\u00e9sence des autres membres de la magistrature du Qu\u00e9bec, l\u2019heure ne me permet pas de mentionner tous les noms, mais je vous souhait d\u2019une bienvenue chaleureuse.<\/p>\n
Permit me as well to acknowledge the number of the Past-Presidents of the Society who are with us tonight. Of our 31 living Past-Presidents, 28 are present this evening.<\/p>\n
I am not going to name all of you, but permit me one exception – Manny Schacter, Q.C.,-our 13th President from 1967-1968, second Jewish B\u00e2tonnier of Montreal in 1987, recipient of our Past-President\u2019s Medal in 2006 and one of the original founders of The Lord Reading Law Society in 1948.
\nManny, we thank you for your contribution to the evolution of the Society over the years, for your mentorship and wise counsel that you have continued to provide to us all, and for remaining active in the affairs of the Society.<\/p>\n
I would ask that Manny and all of the Past-Presidents to all stand up at your places. To all of our Past-Presidents, a hearty \u201cYasher Koach\u201d.<\/p>\n
C\u2019est gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 votre d\u00e9vou\u00e9ment que notre Association est si florissant aujourd\u2019hui. We salute you and pay homage to you for the legacy that is ours. Thank you!<\/p>\n
Ladies and Gentlemen, our Past-Presidents.<\/p>\n
I want to take this opportunity to announce publicly, and it gives me great pleasure to do so, that as a means of marking the 60th Anniversary of the Society, the McGill Faculty of Law has created \u201cThe Lord Reading Law Society 60th Anniversary Human Rights Bursary.\u201d An endowment will be established this year to support, on an annual basis, a student who wishes to participate in a Human Rights activity or internship but who, for reasons of financial need, cannot do so.<\/p>\n
On behalf of The Lord Reading Law Society, I want to publicly thank the McGill Faculty of Law and Dean Kasirer personally for this wonderful gesture. Thank you very much!<\/p>\n
Mindful of its beginnings and the legacy of its founders, The Lord Reading Law Society has, for the past 60 years, been the collective voice of the Quebec Jewish Bar vis \u00e0 vis the greater legal community and Government, dedicating itself to the furtherance of Human Rights and fundamental Freedoms, the promotion of legal education, fellowship of the Bar and recognition of personal achievements in the law that are deserving of special acknowledgment.<\/p>\n
For the past 60 years, we, at The Lord Reading Law Society, have had the privilege of having at this podium at the Montefiore Club, which has been our home for over 40 of those years, more than 350 guest speakers, including some of the most brilliant and celebrated jurists of our time.<\/p>\n
Without being immodest, I don\u2019t think that any other organization in this country has had the honour of having virtually every justice of the Supreme Court of Canada address its members at one time or the other.<\/p>\n
Indeed, although we were once described as \u201ca dead poet\u2019s Society\u201d, we are certainly not that anymore. We are a Society whose reputation has come to be recognized by the entire legal community of Quebec and beyond, as being synonymous with \u201cexcellence\u201d in all aspects of our activities.<\/p>\n
So tonight, we, The Lord Reading Law Society, celebrate:<\/p>\n
1) We celebrate the role we have played over the last 60 years in the intellectual and social life of Quebec\u2019s legal community;<\/p>\n
2) Nous c\u00e9l\u00e9brons depuis 60 ann\u00e9es notre engagement pour les droits et libert\u00e9s fondamentales;<\/p>\n
3) We celebrate being one of the most active forums in Quebec and perhaps even in Canada for continuing legal education and fellowship of the Bar;<\/p>\n
4) Nous c\u00e9l\u00e9brons notre capacit\u00e9 de fournir \u00e0 nos jeunes membres l\u2019opportunit\u00e9 unique de partager leurs pr\u00e9occupations professionnelles, les uns avec les autres et avec des coll\u00e8gues seniors et \u00e0 la fois avec la magistrature, dans une atmosph\u00e8re conviviale et chaleureuse;<\/p>\n
5) We celebrate those distinguished members of our Society, who have achieved leadership positions in the legal community as B\u00e2tonnier of the Barreau de Montreal and of the Barreau du Quebec, as well as Chairs of and active participants on various Bar committees;<\/p>\n
6) Nous c\u00e9l\u00e9brons nos membres qui ont acc\u00e9d\u00e9 \u00e0 tous les niveaux judiciaire, incluant le Juge en chef de l\u2019ancienne Cour provinciale du Qu\u00e9bec, le Juge en chef de la Cour sup\u00e9rieure du Qu\u00e9bec, et des juges de la Cour sup\u00e9rieure et de la Cour du Qu\u00e9bec ainsi que des juges de la Cour d\u2019appel, et finalement des juges de la Cour Supr\u00eame du Canada;<\/p>\n
7) But mostly we celebrate our members who have brought honour to our profession, to our Community, to our City, to our Province and to our Country, by their active contribution and involvement in the life of Quebec\u2019s legal community and the community at large;<\/p>\n
It is befitting that during this same year that we, The Lord Reading Law Society, celebrate our 60th Anniversary, we acknowledge other noteworthy celebrations. This year also marks the 20th Anniversary of la Cour du Qu\u00e9bec ; et nous vous f\u00e9licitons M le juge en chef Gagnon \u00e0 l\u2019occasion de 20\u2019ieme anniversaire de votre Cour.<\/p>\n
This year also marks the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which deserves mention, since the tradition of Human Rights , through the biblical injunction \u201c Tsedek, Tsedek, Tirdoff \u201c \/ \u201c Justice, Justice, shall thou pursue\u201d, is an integral part of the values which The Lord Reading Law Society holds dear.
\nAnd of course, 2008 also marks the 60th Anniversary of the State of Israel.<\/p>\n
Finally, the Lord Reading Law Society has received a number of Letters of Congratulations and of Greetings marking our 60th Anniversary, including letters from:
\n\u2022 the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper;
\n\u2022 the Premier of Qu\u00e9bec, Monsieur Jean Charest;
\n\u2022 the Minister of Justice and Attorney General for Canada, Mr. Rob Nicholson ;
\n\u2022 le Ministre de la Justice et procureur g\u00e9n\u00e9ral du Qu\u00e9bec, M Jacques Dupuis;
\n\u2022 his worship, the Mayor of Montreal, Monsieur Gerald Tremblay;
\n\u2022 the Dean of the McGill Faculty of Law, Dean Nicolas Kasirer; et
\n\u2022 le doyen de la facult\u00e9 de Droit de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, Me Gilles Trudeau.
\nTime does not permit me to read these letters. However, they will be put up on our website, more of which you will hear about in a little while.<\/p>\n
In conclusion, permit me, however, to read a brief part of the letter from Monsieur le B\u00e2tonnier, Stephen Schenke, B\u00e2tonnier de Montr\u00e9al, who wrote, when he advised the Society in May that we would be receiving the M\u00e9daille du Barreau de Montreal, which was presented to us just over 2 weeks ago, on September 4th, 2008, at the Rentr\u00e9e Judiciaire, and I quote:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Lord Reading Law Society\u2019s passion for social justice, its tradition of legal excellence, its contribution to the judiciary and to the Montreal Bar, are just a few of the significant contributions that we wish to recognize. We also believe that by honouring the Lord Reading Law Society, we are recognizing the diversity of the Montreal Bar. By highlighting your 60 years of success, we are sending a message of welcome to all ethnic groups in Montreal and cherishing values of pluralism that are so important for the future of Montreal and Quebec.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ladies and Gentlemen, I would ask you now to rise and lift your glasses in a toast to The Lord Reading Law Society\u2014- for 60 years of being an integral part of the fabric of the Montreal and Quebec legal community-
\n\u201cLong Life, Longue Vie et Lechayim\u201d<\/p>\n
Mesdames et Messieurs, c\u2019est mon grand plaisir maintenant de vous pr\u00e9senter notre pr\u00e9sident sortant, Me Mark Schrager, qui vous adressera la parole.\u00a0 Mark\u2026.<\/p>\n
CLOSING REMARKS
\nMesdames et Messieurs, je n\u2019ai aucune doute que vous serez d\u2019accord avec moi que c\u2019\u00e9tait une soir\u00e9e inoubliable pour l\u2019Association de Droit Lord Reading.<\/p>\n
In closing, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to my committee (the 60th Anniversary Committee) for your hard work over the past 12 months, for your patience when I sometimes and probably more often than not, pushed perhaps a little bit too hard. I know that I always had your support in putting this evening together; I sincerely thank all of you.<\/p>\n
My thanks as well to our sponsors and to the entire Montreal legal community, for your generosity and support that you have exhibited to The Lord Reading Law Society during this, our 60th year.<\/p>\n
A tous nos commandites et \u00e0 l\u2019enti\u00e8re communaut\u00e9 juridique de Montr\u00e9al, mes sinc\u00e8res remerciements pour votre g\u00e9n\u00e9rosit\u00e9 et pour l\u2019appui que vous avez d\u00e9montr\u00e9 envers l\u2019Association de Droit Lord Reading pendant notre 60e ann\u00e9e.\u00a0 Merci \u00e0 tous et \u00e0 toutes.<\/p>\n
Lastly, but not least, my thanks, and it is most sincere and heartfelt, to you our members.
\nIt may be a clich\u00e9, but it is true that :<\/p>\n
\u201cThe achievements of any organization are the combined effort of each of its members\u201d.
\nSo it is, and so it will be with The Lord Reading Law Society.<\/p>\n
Merci Mesdames et Messieurs. Thank you all for coming this evening. I hope to see you at our various functions between now and our 75th Anniversary and, of course, at our 75th.<\/p>\n
Goodnight. Bonsoir et Shalom, and Happy New Year to you all-\u201cShana Tova o\u00fb Mituka\u201d<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider size=”70″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][mk_custom_sidebar sidebar=”sidebar-1″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column][mk_revslider id=”about”][mk_padding_divider size=”70″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text align=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1506019520557{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”] Remarks on the Occasion of the Society’s 60th Anniversary Gala Ian Solloway Chair, 60th Anniversary Committee OPENING REMARKS Monsieur le Juge en Chef du Qu\u00e9bec, Messieurs les Juges en Chefs, Mesdames et Messieurs les Juges de toutes juridictions, invit\u00e9es d\u2019honneurs, coll\u00e8gues, chers amis. Bienvenue, Good evening and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":896,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"categories":[49],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n