For Immediate Release
Toronto, September 24, 1996... Today, Justice Bienvenue announced his resignation from the Quebec Superior Court. This resignation follows months of protest against statements made by the Judge including a suggestion that Jews who died in Nazi death camps did not suffer and attacking women as capable of more treachery than men. B'nai Brith Canada recently called for the Judge's removal through House and Senate vote.
Prof. Stephen Scheinberg, B'nai Brith Canada, Quebec Region said: “This was an appropriate decision and the best judgment Justice Bienvenue has shown during his tenure on the bench. We are just sorry that the resolution of this issue took such a long time and that the legal avenues to his removal were so very cumbersome.”
David Matas, Senior Council for B'nai Brith Canada stated: “This incident highlights the problems of removing an unfit judge from bench. A recommendation from the Canadian Judicial council should be sufficient given that every Superior Court judge sit on the council and given the number of judges now presiding in Canada. Also, it would be unprofessional to remove a Judge through Parliamentary debate, as it becomes a matter of politics, not confidence.”
These incidents showed that Bienvenue was simply unsuited for the bench. It is degrading to treat the Holocaust as a cheap metaphor and his attacks on women were extremely insulting. Again, this was definitely an appropriate decision.
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