Members

Member Appointments

The Tribunal shall consist of no more than six full-time members; or any number of part-time members, or combination of full-time and part-time members, so long as the combined time devoted to their functions and duties does not exceed the combined time that would be devoted by six full-time members.  The Governor in Council shall establish a roster of six to eighteen superior court judges to act as members of the Tribunal.  The Chairperson and other members may be appointed from the roster by the Governor in Council.  Each member shall be appointed for a term not exceeding five years and holds office so long as he or she remains a superior court judge.  Each member, on the expiry of the first term of office, is eligible to be reappointed for one further term. 

Members

The Honourable Harry Slade, Chairperson

Justice Slade was initially appointed to the Specific Claims Tribunal on November 27, 2009.  He was appointed Chairperson on December 11, 2009, and re-appointed to the Tribunal, as Chairperson, for a five-year term commencing November 27, 2010.                     

The Chairperson’s role includes hearing Specific Claims brought before the Tribunal and assigning other members to hear claims. 

Justice Slade was admitted to the Bar of British Columbia in 1974.  His primary area of practice as a lawyer was Aboriginal Law.  He has extensive experience in Specific Claims negotiation, including the British Columbia cut-off claims.  He was active in the advancement of Aboriginal rights issues.  His work included intergovernmental relations among First Nations, Canada and Provinces, including Treaty processes, self-government initiatives, and commercial development of reserve lands.  As a lawyer, Justice Slade also worked with First Nations on ventures in forestry, fishing, and energy resource development.  He practiced law at Ratcliff & Company, a North Vancouver, British Columbia, law firm with an extensive aboriginal and environmental law practice. 

Justice Slade was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1998 and became a Justice of the British Columbia Supreme Court in March 2001.

 

The Honourable Patrick Smith

Justice Patrick Smith, a Superior Court of Ontario Judge, was first appointed to the Specific Claims Tribunal on November 27, 2009, for a one-year term.  He was re‑appointed on November 27, 2010 for a two-year term.

Justice Smith was appointed to the Superior Court of Ontario (Thunder Bay, Ontario) in October 2001.  He has extensive experience in criminal and complex civil litigation with a special interest in alternate dispute resolution and mediation.  He has been extensively involved for several years in the education of lawyers and judges, is a member of the Superior Court of Ontario Judicial Education Committee, a faculty member of the National Judicial Institute and past instructor at the Ontario Bar Admission Programme.

The Honourable Johanne Mainville

Justice Johanne Mainville studied at the University of Montreal in history of art (B.A., 1979) and in law (L.L.B., 1983). She was called to the Bar of Québec in 1984. She practiced as a lawyer in various law firms, and at the time of her appointment to the bench, she was a partner at Gowling, Lafleur, Henderson  LLP.

She was appointed Judge of the Superior Court of Québec on November 22, 2006.

Justice Mainville has an extensive background in aboriginal, constitutional and administrative law. Throughout her career as a lawyer, she was involved in numerous matters involving aboriginal and treaty rights.  These included negotiations concerning the administration of justice in aboriginal communities, the creation of a new forestry regime in Northern Québec and the implementation of treaties.  She also led important litigation involving aboriginal peoples and concerning the implementation of land claims agreements, environmental and social impact processes and constitutional issues.

Justice Mainville was first appointed to the Specific Claims Tribunal on November 27, 2009. Her current appointment to the Tribunal will expire on December 19, 2016.