Harry LaForme facts for kids

Harry Smith LaForme is a Canadian judge who was born on October 31, 1946. He is a member of the Mississaugas people, which is a First Nations group.

Mr. LaForme made history as the first judge with a First Nations background to serve on an appellate court in Canada. An appellate court is a higher court that reviews decisions made by lower courts. He also led important groups like the Indian Commission of Ontario and the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Land Claims. From 2008, he was the head of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which looked into the history and impacts of residential schools on Indigenous peoples.

He studied law at Osgoode Hall Law School and became a lawyer in 1979. In 2002, he was part of a court decision that said denying same-sex couples the right to marry was unfair. His idea to change the definition of marriage was later accepted by a higher court.

Career Highlights

Early Legal Work

After finishing law school in Toronto in 1977, Harry LaForme worked at a law firm. In 1979, he became a lawyer in Ontario. He briefly worked in corporate law, then started his own law practice. He chose to focus on Aboriginal law, which deals with the rights of Indigenous peoples.

He was well-known for his work in constitutional law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. These are important laws that protect people's rights in Canada. He represented Indigenous groups in courts across Canada and even in other countries like Switzerland and New Zealand. He also spoke in the British Parliament.

Becoming a Judge

In 1989, Justice LaForme was appointed Commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario. From 1992 to 1994, he was the Chief Commissioner of the Federal Indian Claims Commission. He also helped lead a task force on Native Land Claims.

He taught at Osgoode Hall Law School in 1992 and 1993. In 1994, he became an Ontario Court of Justice judge. At that time, only two other Indigenous people had reached this level of trial court in Canada.

In 2004, Justice LaForme was appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal. This made him the first Indigenous person to serve on any appellate court in Canada. He later left this role to become the first Chair of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He resigned from this role in October 2008 and returned to the Court of Appeal for Ontario. He worked as a judge there until he retired in October 2018.

Awards and Recognition

Justice LaForme has received many honors for his work. His own people have recognized his achievements. In 1997, he received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award in Law and Justice. He has also been given at least six Eagle Feathers by Aboriginal elders. Eagle Feathers are very special and symbolize honesty, integrity, and respect.

In 2007, a scholarship was created in his name at the University of Windsor for first-year law students. Justice LaForme was also an Olympic Torch carrier for the 2010 Canada Winter Olympic Games.

He has received several honorary doctorates. In 2013, Nipissing University gave him an honorary doctorate in education. In 2017, he received an honorary doctorate of laws from the Law Society of Upper Canada.

In 2022, Justice LaForme was appointed to the Order of Canada as an Officer. This is one of Canada's highest honors. In 2025, he gave a speech at Tel Aviv University's Annual Democracy Forum. He spoke about feeling a "deep kinship" with the Jewish people.