John Gomery

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Justice John Gomery

Justice John H. Gomery, BCL , BA , QC (born August 9, 1932 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian jurist.

[edit] Career

Gomery was educated at McGill University where he received Bachelor of Arts (BA) and a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) degrees.

Since 1957, Gomery worked at the law firm Fasken, Martineau and Dumoulin in the areas of family law, commercial litigation and bankruptcy and became a partner there in 1966. In 1972, he was appointed QC. In 1982, he was appointed to Quebec Superior Court Montreal district and from 1999 to 2005 served as President of the Copyright Board of Canada (renewed in 2002).

Gomery has also been involved in the Canadian Bar Association and Chambre des notaires du Québec. He was also President of the Comité Général des Juges de la Cour supérieure du Québec, President of the Family Law Committee from 1983 to 1993 and has been a member of the Rules of Practice Committee since the beginning.

[edit] Gomery Commission

Gomery was appointed on February 19, 2004 as Commissioner of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities (informally, the Gomery Commission) to investigate the Sponsorship scandal. Gomery's mandate is set by Section IV, clause I of the Inquiries Act which states: "The Commissioner [is] directed to perform his or her duties without expressing any conclusion or recommendation regarding the civil or criminal liability of any person or organization and to ensure that the conduct of the inquiry does not jeopardize any ongoing criminal investigation or criminal proceedings." In other words, Gomery's mandate is only to determine whether there were problems with the federal sponsorship program in Quebec between 1995-2003; he is explicitly forbidden when he issues his report to name any individuals or organizations that may have been responsible for the alleged fraud that occurred during the sponsorship program.

He has been criticized by many, in particular Chrétien supporters, who see his dealings in the commission as biased.

In 2005, the Canadian Press named Gomery "Newsmaker of the Year."