On September 13, 2024, our office is thrilled to be celebrating our founding counsel, Justice Michael Battista as we attend his Presentation Ceremony at the Federal Court. After being appointed a Federal Court judge in May 2024, Justice Battista is now being officially presented to the public in his new role.
Our entire team is excited to attend the Presentation Ceremony and to show how proud and grateful we are of Justice Battista, who, throughout his career, became a leader in the immigration and refugee law bar and a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.
We are also looking forward to celebrating Justice Battista amongst several other legal leaders and LGBTQ+ trailblazers, including prominent judges, lawyers, and advocates, who will be in attendance.
Other guests in attendance at the event will include former Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci, who co-authored the M v H decision, which found that discriminatory laws against same-sex relationships are unconstitutional, and eventually cleared the path for same sex marriage. We will also be joined by Superior Court Justice David Corbett, who was a director in the Foundation for Equal Families, and was previously the lawyer who represented Mark Hall in Hall v Durham Catholic School Board to find that he had been wrongly prevented by his school from bringing his same-sex partner to his school graduation on the basis that since the school received public funds, the school board could not prevent Hall’s boyfriend from attending the dance.
Another LGBTQ+ leader in attendance is Michelle Douglas, who is an LGBTQ+ activist who sued the Canadian federal government after losing her job during Canada’s LGBTQ+ purge, and who now heads the LGBTQ+ purge fund. We are also looking forward to be joined by Doug Kerr, Executive Director of the Dignity Network Canada. We are looking forward to celebrating Justice Battista in this company!
Keep an eye on our social media in the coming days for photos of this exciting event!
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