Antonio Lamer

Joseph Antonio Charles Lamer was born in Montreal and graduated in law from the Université de Montréal. A brilliant criminal defense lawyer and professor, he served as a judge of the Quebec Superior Court and was appointed Chairman of the Law Reform Commission of Canada in 1976 before his elevation to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1980.

Serving as Chief Justice from 1990 to 2000, Lamer was a passionate defender of civil liberties and fundamental justice. His jurisprudence revolutionized Canadian criminal law under Section 7 and Section 11 of the Charter of Rights, establishing the right to silence, strict limits on unreasonable search and seizure, and ensuring that no person could be convicted of murder without proof of subjective foresight of death.