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people like [Supreme Court Justice] Morris Fish, people like the Greenspans, to have met [former justice] Arthur Martin, just a variety of remarkable human beings and what they've done, it's always intrigued me. . . . I think these people set a model, set a standard as it were, that we can only inspire to ultimately." Where that standard is most evident for Peck is in the courtroom. He says the courtroom is the "one place that you really feel comfortable." In that temple of justice, Peck's persona is de- scribed as the model of civility, never blusterous like the litigators oſten portrayed on television. His contemporaries note his impeccable stan- dards and his calm and professional manner. His language is thoughtful; he considers his words fully and truly in a way that only some- one with the love for the English language can. "He really cares about language," Code says of Peck. "This makes him a really unusual lawyer, he loves the English language, he thinks about the English language, he chooses his words incredibly carefully. So he is probably the best read lawyer of any lawyer I know, because he is just so thoughtful and careful about the way he uses language, real precision and care." Code says the first time he saw Peck in a courtroom it brought to mind great Cana- dian criminal lawyers such as John J. Robin- ette. Peck's careful and considerate language means he holds his temper and never attacks opponents. "I was always astounded when I saw him stand up in a courtroom, that he has the presence in the courtroom that I have not seen for 30 years," Code says relating Peck's presence to Robinette's. "[He's] so formal and incredibly professional and polite, [you] never see him say anything nasty or losing his tem- per or attacking his opponent on a personal level, he's all straightforward business in the courtroom, in a very erudite, learned, formal kind of way." The voraciousness of Peck's reading is al- most legendary. Code tells Canadian Lawyer that during the Air India trial, he spent many evenings in Peck's basement study, discuss- ing the "massive library" of books that lined the walls. Indeed a memorable quote given to Globe and Mail reporter Robert Matas at the start of the Air India trial was that Peck was reading so much about the case he had very little time for leisure reading "other than some poetry." The Air India bombings on June 23, 1985, killed 331 people, 329 of those were on-board flight 182, a Boeing 747 that blew up off the coast of Ireland. Two more victims — bag- gage handlers — were killed 54 minutes ear- lier at Japan's New Tokyo International Airport — today called Narita Airport. Until the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, Air India was considered the worst terrorist attack in aviation history. Both Bagri, a Kamloops, B.C.-based mill worker, and Ma- lik, a Vancouver businessman, were central fig- ures in B.C.'s Sikh community. They were each charged with 329 counts of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, the attempted murder of passengers and crew on the Cana- dian Pacific flight at the Tokyo airport, and two 1989 – 1991 – Chairman, national criminal justice section, Canadian Bar Association 1990 – First appearance before Supreme Court of Canada, R. v. Huang 1993 – "100 Years of the Criminal Code in Canada: Essays Commemorating the Centenary of the Canadian Criminal Code," edited by Justice Josiah Wood and Richard Peck 2001 – Defence counsel in R. v. Sharpe, Supreme Court of Canada throws out sections of Canada's child pornography laws, saying that a person could not be prosecuted for what they created for personal use, through their thoughts and imagination 2005 – Lead defence counsel for accused Air India bomber Ajaib Singh Bagri, who was acquitted 2007 – In June, named special prosecutor to investigate allegations www. of misconduct involving the commu- nity of Bountiful, B.C. 2007 – Completes investigation into Bountiful in August and recom- mends the province seek a refer- ence case. The province seeks two other opinions, the first of which also calls for a reference case. 2008 – Is retained to represent B.C. Crown counsel appealing calls to testify about their core decisions before a pair of fatality inquires. mag.com NO VEMBER / DECEMBER 2008 33