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w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7 17 Der Kerker eine Gruft." (Oh what joy, in the open air freely to breathe again! Up here alone is life! The dungeon is a grave.) Justice Karakatsanis worked for the Gov- ernment of Ontario for many years before becoming a judge. Richard Wagner — Nilakantha, in Delibes Lakme. Nilakantha, a Brahmin high priest, is forbidden to practise his religion by the British forces occupying his city. At the beginning of the opera, he sings: "Soyez trois fois benis, vous qui rendez hommag'e Au pretre abandonne . . . (Thrice be their joys increas'd, whose homage here is given To the forsaken priest . . . ) Justice Wagner, a civil law law- yer, is one of three Supreme Court judges from Quebec. Clément Gascon — Lieutenant Zuni- ga, a minor character in Bizet's Carmen. In one of the opera's most famous scenes, Carmen sings the Habanera to Zuniga, a soldier trying to shut down the cigarette factory where she works: "L'amour est enfant de bohème, il n'a jamais connu de loi . . . " (Love is a gypsy child, he has never heard of law . . . ) Justice Gascon was unknown when he was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2014. Suzanne Côté — Carlotta, in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. The diva Carlotta is known (among other things) for her extravagant clothing, par- ticularly the famous "Hannibal dress." The managers of the opera house implore her to sing in their production: "Prima donna first lady of the stage! Your devo- tees are on their knees to implore you!" Says Carlotta: "The stress that falls upon a famous prima donna! Terrible diseases, coughs and colds and sneezes! Still, the dryest throat will reach the highest note, in search of perfect opera!" Before she became a judge, Justice Coté had a lengthy fight with the Quebec taxation authorities over her attempt to deduct more than $200,000 in clothing and personal care expenses from her annual earnings. Russell Brown — The Learned Judge, in Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury. "Though all my law be fudge, Yet I'll never, never budge, But I'll live and die a Judge!" Throughout the opera, The Learned Judge continually repeats, "For now I'm a Judge!" The chorus replies, "And a good Judge, too!" Justice "Lucky" Brown, appointed by Stephen Harper just before the 2015 federal election, once described Justin Trudeau in a blog as "unspeakably awful." Malcolm Rowe — Balstrode, in Ben- jamin Britten's Peter Grimes. Balstrode, a retired fishing boat captain, tries to help the tormented Peter Grimes. At the beginning of Act One, a chorus of fisherman sings, "O cold and wet and driven by the tide, Beat your tired arms against your tarry side." Looking out to sea, Balstrode sings, "A long way out. Sea horses. The wind is holding back the tide. If it veers round, watch for your lives." Later, Balstrode opines: "The tide that floods will ebb, the tide, the tide will turn." Justice Rowe is the first Newfoundlander to be appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. As for the rest of us, well, we're just part of the chorus. Philip Slayton is immediate past president of PEN Canada. He is working on a book about freedom in Canada. Because business issues are legal issues. So if you want to get ahead in business, get the degree that gets you there faster. ONE YEAR – PART - TIME – NO THESIS FOR L AWYERS AND NON - LAWYERS law.utoronto.ca/ExecutiveLLM GPLLM Global Professional Master of Laws [Get a Master of Laws] ntitled-1 1 2015-02-25 8:38 AM

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