REGINA - The new Chief Justice of Saskatchewan has officially been installed this week.
Robert Leurer was introduced as the Chief Justice at a special sitting of the Court of Appeal on Wednesday, Nov. 22 in Regina. Leurer becomes the 10th Chief Justice in the history of the province,
He takes over from Robert Richards who retired from the bench earlier this year. As the Chief Justice, Leurer heads up the Court of Appeal in the province.
Leurer had already been sworn in at a private ceremony earlier, but at this ceremony he officially was introduced and took the oath of office administered by Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty.
Leurer graduated as a Gold Medallist from the University of Saskatchewan College of Law in 1984 and had clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada. He comes to the bench following a long career as MLT Aikins, where he made his name as one of Canada’s top class action defence lawyers. For the last six years Leurer has served on the bench, first appointed to the Court of Queen’s Bench and then shortly after to the Court of Appeal.
Leurer is also an avid football fan and those at the ceremony recounted his time on the board of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, during which time the club won a Grey Cup.
The installation ceremony had its formalities but also included its share of laughter and jokes, as dignitaries and members of the judiciary extended their welcome to Leurer and recounted his legal skills, his personal qualities as a mentor and colleague, and poked fun at his golf game.
But the ceremony got serious as Leurer gave his remarks. While he expressed gratitude towards a number of people, Leurer spent a good amount of time in which he spoke of the role of law in society.
He pointed to his own travels to Tanzania and said what struck him was that even with resource riches, most Tanzanians lived in abject poverty. Leurer noted the poor housing conditions there and said they were told it was due to “an unreliable system of land ownership, a poorly functioning set of commercial laws, and a court system that was far less reliable than our own.”
“Why do I mention all of this? It is because in Tanzania, the absence of an effective legal system contributes to the vicious self-supporting cycle of poverty and underdevelopment,” said Leurer.
“Contrast all of that to what we enjoy here in Canada. The standard of living, we enjoy, the largely safe nature of our communities, is all dependent upon an organized effective legal system that is recognized and respected by the individual participants in society. So while it’s great to celebrate whenever a judge is appointed, and I am usually appreciative and humbled by the opportunity to serve as Chief Justice of Saskatchewan, it’s good to remember why we celebrate.”
Leurer also said “when our courts work at their best — and they’re by no means perfect but they sure work well — they result in our citizens feeling confident they can go about their personal and economic business... That’s why we’re celebrating today.”
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