Harry LaForme facts for kids

Harry Smith LaForme OC was born on October 31, 1946. He is a respected Canadian judge.

He is a member of the Mississaugas people. Justice LaForme made history as the first appellate court judge in Canada with a First Nations background. An appellate court reviews decisions made by lower courts.

He has held several important roles. These include being the Commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario. He also chaired the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Land Claims. Later, he led the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He resigned from this role in October 2008.

Justice LaForme studied law at Osgoode Hall Law School. He graduated in 1977 and became a lawyer in Ontario in 1979.

In 2002, Justice LaForme was part of a court panel. This panel ruled that denying marriage to same-sex couples was unfair. It went against their basic rights. His idea to change the definition of marriage was later accepted by the Court of Appeal for Ontario.

Justice LaForme's Career Journey

After finishing law school in 1977, Harry LaForme worked at a law firm. He then started his own law practice. He chose to focus on Aboriginal law. This area of law deals with the rights of Indigenous peoples.

He was known for his work in constitutional law. This includes cases related to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He argued cases in many courts. He represented Indigenous groups across Canada and in other countries. These places included Geneva, Switzerland, New Zealand, and the British Parliament.

Key Roles in Indigenous Affairs

In 1989, Justice LaForme became the 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 from 1989 to 1990.

He taught at Osgoode Hall Law School in 1992 and 1993. In 1994, he was appointed as an Ontario Court of Justice (General Division) Judge. At that time, only two other Indigenous people had reached this level of court in Canada.

First Indigenous Appellate Judge

Justice LaForme was appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2004. This was a major milestone. He was the first Indigenous person to serve on any appellate court in Canada.

He later left the Court of Appeal to lead the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This commission looked into the history and impact of residential schools on Indigenous peoples. He returned to the Court of Appeal for Ontario in October 2008. He worked there as a judge until he retired in October 2018.

Awards and Recognition

Justice LaForme has received many honours for his work. His own Indigenous community has recognized his achievements.

• In 1997, he received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Law and Justice.
• He was given at least six Eagle Feathers. These feathers are very special. They represent honesty, integrity, and respect. Indigenous elders gave him these honours on different occasions. This included when he became an Appellate Judge.

Other Special Honours

In 2007, a special award was created in his name. It is a $500 bursary for first-year law students. This award is given at the University of Windsor.

Justice LaForme was also an Olympic Torch carrier. He carried the torch for the 2010 Canada Winter Olympic Games.

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. This is one of Canada's highest honours. He received the rank of Officer.

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