Canada's new justice minister is a Montrealer: Meet David Lametti

Colleagues of Canada's new Justice Minister David Lametti say that, before his career in politics, he was known for his generosity and mentorship as a law professor at McGillUniversity.

Lametti, the Montreal MP for LaSalle-mard-Verdun, replacedJody Wilson-Raybould, Canada's first Indigenous justice minister, at Monday morning's cabinet shuffle.

• Wilson-Raybould moved to Veterans Affairs, Lametti named justice minister in Trudeau cabinet shuffle

At McGill, Lamettifocused his academic work on intellectual property, even pioneering it as a field of research in law at the university, according to Richard Gold, the associate dean of the McGill Faculty of Law graduate studies program.

Gold says he and Lamettico-founded McGill's Centre for Intellectual Property Policy (CIPP).

"He's a very thoughtful man," Gold said. "Iassume that he will listen very well to the people in his department, the people who are affected by criminal justice and by other areas of federal jurisdiction, including intellectual property, and will make wise decisions."

Wilson-Raybould'sreassignment to Minister of Veterans Affairs is being seen as a significant demotion.

When asked whether he believed Lamettiwould be sensitive to Indigenous issues in criminal justice, Gold cited a panel Lamettihad recently hosted about promoting women and Indigenous people in innovation fields.

"He's very sensitive to the issue. I think this is one of the marquee issues of the government and he's certainly one of those who believes deeply in diversity," Gold said.

Stints at Yale and Oxford

Lametti, 56,began his law career as a McGill student after completing a bachelor in economics and political science at the University of Toronto. After that, he also studied law at Yale and Oxford, before taking up a teaching position at McGill.

Lametti, who is from Port Colborne, ON, met his wife,Genevive Saumier, as a McGillstudent, according to Gold. Saumieris also a law professor at McGilland specializes in private international law.

Lametti on being named Justice Minister

6 years ago

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Justice Minister David Lametti explains what he can get done in the eight months before this year's election.

The couple have three adult children, one of whom is a medical student at McGill, Gold said.

He described Lamettias "a very kind and generous man."

"He has a deep faith, but not the kind that goes out there and proselytizes, but it motivates him," Gold said, explaining that Lamettiis Catholic.

He says Lametti'sreligious beliefs make him "want to do good in the world."

Audrey Boctor, a litigation attorney at IMK in Montreal, says she experienced Lametti'sgenerosity first-hand as a student.

Boctor co-wrote an article on the Quebec's Civil Codes and rights of ownership in 2006 with Lamettiwhen she was still in law school at McGill.

"There was no question too simple or too complicated or too long or too short. He always made himself available and was just extremely supportive," Boctor said.

"I know he acted as a mentor to a lot of law students over the course of his career."