Canadian Lawyer

Pam Palmater Associate professor, Ryerson University Department of Politics and Public Administration, Toronto Pam Palmater is a Mi'kmaq lawyer whose family originates from the Eel River Bar First Nation in northern New Brunswick. As the chair in Indigenous Governance and academic director of the Centre for Indigenous Governance at Ryerson, she has had a huge impact on aboriginal governance issues. Following her unsuccessful race last year for the leadership of the Assembly of First Nations, Palmater took centre stage during the Idle No More protests that shook the leadership of AFN rival Shawn Atleo. By bringing her message to both the mainstream and social media, Palmater has been challenging Canadians to think seriously about aboriginal issues. What voters had to say: "This is an honourable, brave woman who serves her people in the area of justice in an unjust society." Government/non-profits/associations Justice France Charbonneau Chairwoman, Charbonneau Commission, Quebec Kagan McLeod A decade ago, Justice France Charbonneau, then a Crown prosecutor with 23 years of trials under her belt, successfully took down the once elusive Hell's Angels boss Maurice "Mom" Boucher, who is now serving a life sentence for the murder of two prison guards. Now her work as the head of the Charbonneau Commission, the public inquiry into allegations of widespread corruption in Quebec's multibilliondollar construction industry, could ultimately have an important impact on how business is conducted in the province, help prevent corruption in the awarding of public contracts, and limit undue influence of elected officials. The Charbonneau Commission has shaken up Quebec politics. Corruption allegations that surfaced at the commission led to Montreal mayor Gerald Tremblay's resignation, and to the arrest of 37 politicians, bureaucrats, and construction bosses, including former Laval mayor Gilles Vaillancourt and Montreal interim mayor Michael Applebaum. By taking on some of Quebec's toughest cases, Charbonneau has developed a reputation for being an even tougher presence on the bench. What voters had to say: "No lawyer or judge is having as significant an impact on Canadian legal culture this year." Jean-Pierre Blais Blair Gable/Reuters Chairman, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, Gatineau, Que. Jean-Pierre Blais, a career public servant who has worked at the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Department of Canadian Heritage, took over the CRTC at a time of significant change in the industry. In an ambitious set of proposals, Blais has laid out his view of a regulatory regime based on a convergence of public and private sector interests. In 2012, he released a three-year plan promising to "create, connect, and protect." Recently Blais introduced the CRTC's new wireless code, which includes some long-awaited regulations of cellular service providers. The code will require providers to stick to the terms of their contracts, limit the amortization period for cell phone contracts, and put caps on overcharges. What voters had to say: "Making waves with a consumer focus as head of the CRTC." www.CANADIAN L a w ye r m a g . c o m august 2013 33

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