Association des juristes italo-canadiens du Québec

Our Honourees

Since its creation, several diverse events have been held and each year the Association has paid tribute at its banquet to a personality who has stood out within the great family of Italian-Canadian jurists.

Since 2009, the Association has provided seminars of fourteen (14) hours per year and since 2021 provided webinars for jurists as part of the obligatory continuing legal education required of the Barreau du Québec.

Italian-Canadian jurists are avid contributors of the legal community. To commemorate their achievements, each year the jurist who went above and beyond, is selected, as the AICJQ proudly highlights their outstanding merit.

At previous banquets we had the privilege of highlighting the brilliant and exceptional careers of Justices Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court of the United States, Frank Iacobuccci of the Supreme Court of Canada and the Honourable Mtre David Lametti, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and many other distiguished jurists.

It should be noted that on the occasion of these annual banquets, the Association gives law students several scholarships to those who have distinguished themselves, by their exceptional academic results. Thus the Association aim, to encourage the younger Italian Canadians to surpass themselves in order to become part of the legal elite.

It is our pleasure to introduce to you our Honourees: Click on the honouree name to learn more about them.

2024 - Mtre. Maria R. Battaglia
In 2002, Mtre Maria R Battaglia founded the law firm Maria R. Battaglia Avocats, firm specializing in family law, succession law and youth law, mandates and family mediation.
HER CAREER
In 2000, Mtre Maria Battaglia is a Lecturer, at McGill University, Faculty of Law for a course entitled “Children and the Law”.
From 1997 to 2002, Mtre Battaglia is a Lawyer and partner at Mendelsohn, Rosentzveig, Shacter Avocats, firm specializing in family law, wills and estates, labour law, civil litigation and family mediation.
From 1990 to 1997, Maria is a Lawyer at Robinson, Sheppard, Shapiro Avocats, firm specializing in family law, labour law, administrative law, commercial litigation and family mediation and from 1988 to 1989, Maria is a Law student at this law firm.
Mtre Maria R Battaglia is admitted in 1990 to the Barreau du Quebec.
HER EXTRA-PROFESSIONAL CAREER
From 2024 to the present Mtre Maria R Battaglia is the President of the National Congress of Italian Canadians, Quebec Region and its Vice-President from 2021 to 2024.
From 2021 to the present Mtre Battaglia is the President of the Regional Council of Italian-Canadian Seniors (CRAIC), member of the board of directors from 2002-2011, its vice-president from 2020-2021.
From 2021 to 2024, Mtre Maria R Battaglia is the President of the Association of Family Law Lawyers of Quebec (ARADFQ), member since 1990 and member of the board of directors since 1993, having also served as director, treasurer and vice-president.
From 2020 to the present, Mtre Maria Battaglia is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Italian Canadian Community Foundation and a Governor since 2002.
From 2019 to the present Mtre Battaglia is Member of “Comité d'implantation et de suivi du projet de coordination parentale” at the Superior Court of Quebec .
From 1993-2000 Maria is Director of Catholic Community Services of Montreal Inc., President from 1997-1999; Vice-President from 1995-1997; Member of the Board of Directors from 1993-2000.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS
Mtre Maria R Battaglia is a speaker for the Canadian Bar in December 2020 in Cuba at the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction for the Association of Family Lawyers of Quebec in January 2020 and 2023, in 2021 for the Association of Italian-Canadian Jurists of Quebec and in Wuistler in 2023 for the International Academy of Family Lawyers;
Mtre Battaglia received by the Barreau du Quebec the Honorary distinction Lawyer Emeritus, (Ad.E);
Mtre Maria Battaglia is Member of the Liaison Committee with the Superior Court of Quebec in family matters.
2023 - Mtre. Vincent Chiara
Mtre Vincent Chiara studied law at Université de Sherbrooke, and later obtained a degree in finance from McGill University. Mtre Chiara has been praticing law for twenty (20) years and in 2013 the magazine Le Monde Juridique, named him meilleur avocat d'affaires de l'année.
Vincent Chiara has always been carefully attentive to the environnemental and social impact of the construction projects he undertakes. MACH Capital was created in 2019, and once again Vincent Chiara distiguished himself, by adopting a responsible and durable approach of not only the construction projects he undertakes, but also of their property management. As of 2023, MACH holds two hundred and eighty five (285) properties, representing fourty-five (45 000 000) million square feet of space, employing over four hundred (400) employees.
Mtre Vincent Chiara who is a generous supporter of many charitable causes and is a member of several boards of public and social organisations, was in 2019 named ambassador of Université de Sherbrooke and Honorary President of the CHU de Quebec Foundation. In October 2023, we were proud to name him the year's honouree of the Association of Italian-Canadian Jurists of Quebec.
2019 - The Honourable Mtre David Lametti
Mtre David Lametti is the Member of Parliament representing LaSalle-Émard-Verdun and the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. He previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development from January 2017 to January 2019 and as Parliamentary Secretary for International Trade between December 2015 and January 2017.
Prior to his election, Mr. Lametti was a Professor of Law at McGill University. He was Associate Dean of Academics between 2008 and 2011. He is a Member of the Institute of Comparative Law, and was a founding Member of the CIPP, the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and he served as its Director from 2009 to 2012. He obtained his B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of Toronto in 1985, and received his Common and Civil law degrees from McGill University in 1989. Mr David Lametti received an LL.M. from the Yale Law School in 1991, and a doctorate in law from Oxford University.
From 1989-90, he was a clerk to Justice Peter Cory of the Supreme Court of Canada. Mtre David Lametti is an internationally-recognized expert in property and intellectual property law, with numerous publications, and has taught or lectured in many of the world’s most well-known universities in English, French and Italian.
2018 - Mtre. Elio Cerundolo
Born on March 31, 1943, Mtre Elio Cerundolo during World War II, in a small village called Sant'elia A Pianisi, which was once an ancient castle, still recognized today for its archaeological excavations. In this Italian community in the province of Campobasso, the young Elio Cerundolo began his first years of studies at the Comunale elementary school.
A few years later, his parents decided to move the family and leave this village and went to Rome with the entire family made up of six (6) brothers and sisters where he completed his secondary studies at the Lyceum di Collegio Santa Maria. In 1962, at the age of 19, Mtre Cerundolo obtained his Diploma di Maturità Classica.
After his graduation, once again, his parents decided to move the family and headed cross the Atlantic and settle, for economic and family reasons, in Montreal. It was in 1967 that Elio Cerundolo obtained his law degree from the Université de Montreal and was sworn in by the Barreau du Québec on January 14, 1969.
Mtre Elio Cerundolo opened his law office at the corner of Jean-Talon and Papineau in Montreal. With great pride the office still operates today under the name Cerundolo & Maiorino and it is no small fact that his doors have been privileged to see several young Italian lawyers take their first steps through his office over the past fourty (40) years.
In addition to Mtre Cerundolo legal practice which spanned from 1969 to 2016, mainly in litigation, civil, commercial and real estate law, he acted as a leading counsel at the Chambre Immobilière du Grand Montréal. For nearly ten (10) years, from 1988 to 1997, Mtre Elio Cerundolo was also a Director of the Fiducie Canadienne Italienne.
Always active and true to himself, Mtre Cerundolo continued activities as a retiree, for example as a Director and Vice-President of the Caisse Populaire CanadienneItalienne.
2017 - Mtre. Mario Spina
I have come a long way...
a long, long way and today I cannot help but be proud of what I have been able to accomplish. I was about three (3) when World War II ended. My hometown, Boiano had been bombarded. A few months after the end of the war, American soldiers were marching through our freed town. My mother was always repeating that when I saw the soldiers marching, I left the crowd and went amongst the American soldiers to march alongside them. The soldiers had given me some chocolate before my embarrassed mother came to retrieve me. At three (3) years old, I was already looking for a career dedicated to defending others.
My parents were fruit vendors, but after the war as fruit sales had decreased, and my father fell ill. My brother Giovanni, at about 13 or 14, had replaced him to help our mother went from town to town to sell fruit in order to make ends meet for the family.
My father who died at ninety two(92) had only completed three (3) years of elementary school education. My mother never had the opportunity to go to school, was self-taught and nevertheless, was the one whom was responsible for the written family correspondence and keeping up the family administration. She passed away at 101 and was still of good health & of sound mind.
My parents’ richness was, a home, and children, that is, six (6) male children. This did not impede them from teaching us: discipline, honesty, order, and respect.
In 1958, my maternal uncle, Pasquale Chiovitti, applied to Immigration Canada to sponsor my father and my two elder brothers, Giovanni and Michele, in order for them to join him in Montreal. As the head of the family was immigrating, all the members of the family had to go to the Canadian Embassy in Rome for an interview and medical exam. To this day, I still vividly remember being by the fireplace at home studying Latin when the written decision from the Canadian Embassy arrived which read that either the whole family would go to Canada or nobody was going to be allowed to go. My mother decided we all go and so we left in 1959, Boiano by ship, Vulcania from the Port of Naples on March 7th and arrived in Canada on March 16th, at Pier 21 in the Halifax Port. After travelling by train all night and all day, we reached Montreal at the now Central Station on March 17th, which is St-Patrick’s Day.
We lived in the new area of the Italian Community, Our Lady of Consolata Parish. I soon thereafter went to work at a women’s shoes manufactory. I was paid 60c per hour. It was a very warm, uncomfortable place. I had very painful blisters on my right hand because I had to remove nails from the shoes and then with hot pliers that were on a gas flame, glue the shoes. My salary was paid weekly in cash in the amount of approximately $24.00. This money, along with the money that my brothers made, was handed over to our mother who would use our earnings in order to pay the loan my parents had in Italy, to cover living expenses and also invest a few remaining dollars in the bank.
In August 1959, I received a big raise of 10c per hour. However, a few weeks later, I announced to the boss who was not happy that I was quitting my job to go to school. He tried to convince me otherwise. Even though he did not encourage me to pursue my studies, and despite my age, I chose school over money.
I was around 18 and was put in Secondary II with the 13 and 14 year old students at Cardinal Newman High School, Annex St-Dominic. I had language difficulties which was a little embarrassing to say the least. But kept thinking about my brothers who were working for more than 8 hours a day and told myself why should I not study for eight (8) hours a day? so plunged my head into my books day & night. The following year, I attended St-Pius X High School which had been newly constructed. Following my high school studies, I worked at my parish church, Our Lady of Consolata, as a full-time secretary for about 2 years and then worked as a clerk in the administration department at Eastern Chartered Company.
In 1966/1967, I was accepted at Loyola College and my will power to succeed was ablaze, so much so that I could have spent night & day at College. At that time, the baccalauréat ès arts. degree was a 4 year program and had completed it in 3 years, specializing in Political Science. I wrote on the ceiling of the library: Here where Mario Spina spent 1,000 days.
At one point, I had to choose what career to pursue and which University to attend. What to become: Teacher, Priest, Lawyer, Opera Singer, career in the Military, or Magician?, I had been told I was a born teacher. Too easy of a job for me! Priesthood? Law career? My father, when people would ask: “Is it true your son Mario wants to become a priest?” would reply, “If he chooses to become a priest, I will give him $2,000.00. But if he chooses to become a lawyer, I will give him less.” I liked opera, but not to the extent of making it a career, since there are so many professional opera singers which very few succeed. The military? After joining the American Army at the age of 3, my mother had made it clear that it was a categorical no I believe I could have succeeded, because I like order, discipline and hard work. A magician? It was too enjoyable for me and again, in this field, work is not abundant. I was looking for a challenge and I remembered the words of my maternal grandfather, Domenico, who while I was in high school in Italy used to call me l’avvocatuccio, the little lawyer.
I was accepted in the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa and McGill University in 1969/1970, and decided to attend McGill University. However, because of difficulties I encountered given that neither English nor French were my mother tongue, I was not able to pursue this. In the summer of 1970, I went to study la langue de Molière for 4 weeks at the Alliance française in Paris, in order to perfect my French. In the summer of 1971, I pursued French studies at the Université de Montréal for six weeks. In 1970/1971, I was a part-time teacher at the elementary and high schools. Finally, in the autumn of 1971, I firmly decided to become a lawyer even if I was not necessarily going to practice law, and left for Florence, Italy. I chose Florence because when my father prior to my birth, in 1941-2 was assigned to join the war was stationed in Florence. I was born on January 10th, 1942, and was the 4th child in the family. My birth spared my father from having to go to war, since the law stipulated that a soldier with 4 children did not have to serve and so he was immediately sent home. For the first ten months of my stay in Florence, I rented a room in the home of an older Florentine lady. Then, I moved out and was lucky to find room and board with the Monks from I Servi di Maria at the Monastery of Santissima Annunziata. I had the privilege of being the only lay person to stay with them.
While in Florence, I spent Monday to Saturday attending classes and studying at the Faculty of Law library until 8:00 p.m., its closing time. I would then have a quick supper and rush off to choir practice. I belonged to 3 choirs that had 6 different rehearsal times, but this did not weigh down on me and it allowed me to sing at the beautiful Duomo in Florence. My Saturday and Sunday practices were at the SS Anunziata, where I met my girlfriend, Marina Martinelli, a Florentine, who later in 1975 became my wife.
When I was studying in Florence, the Law Degree was a 4 year program that consisted of courses, written and oral exams and submitting a thesis which you had to defend. Once again, I completed all that in 3 years. Before leaving Florence, I wrote to Professor Jean-Louis Baudouin and asked him whether I could be admitted at the Faculty of Law at the Université de Montréal. He replied that according to the Vice-Dean there was no problem. I came back to Montreal in mid January, 1975, and hurriedly went to the Université de Montréal to see the Vice-Dean. To my great disappointment, I was told that I could only begin my studies in September.
During the summer of 1976, I went to work in Ville St-Laurent for a small company that was in the business of bleaching jeans. My shift was from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. and I was paid approximately $150.00 weekly. That summer I also had the opportunity to work at the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics. My wife, who had joined me in Canada and was a piano teacher, gave private piano lessons. Together, we were able to make ends meet. During the time I was studying at the Université de Montréal, discussions around the referendum were happening and I could feel I was not in the right place. The only person who made me feel at ease was Professor Baudouin, former Judge at the Quebec Court of Appeal.
Finally, on October 7th, 1982, I was sworn in and became a member of the Barreau du Québec. Of all the options at my disposal, I ended up opting to practice law which, although a noble profession, I had not originally intended on practicing as that it was not my first choice. I joined the Law Office of Mtre Manuel Feldmann, who passed away in 1998, and then I joined the Law Office of Frankel & Frankel and left in 2020.
Today, I believe I am the eldest Italian jurist in Montreal, maybe in all of Quebec, and I am happy to be carrying this honor.
Throughout my life, I participated in many church activities. The Church was like my second home. I also enjoyed leisure activities and in the 1960’s I spent time playing soccer. I was considered the fastest soccer player and some spectators would poke fun at me saying: “Look, Spina is ahead of the ball!” They had nicknamed me the, arrow. I was a soccer player and an acrobat, and people always wished to see me enter onto the soccer field with a summersault. Always in the 60’s, I competed in the 20 km speed walk in Montreal and Gatineau, and another 50km competition in Ville d’Anjou. In 1997, I ran the Montreal Marathon of 42.2 km. However, as talented as I may be in sports, I lack the coordination of a dancer and, to my wife’s great dismay, the only dance I know is the Russian dance.
I was always involved in politics and twice I was a candidate in Municipal and Provincial elections, but unfortunately I did not succeed. Politics has always been in the back of my mind and at 71 years old, aspiring to be a Liberal candidate at the Federal level. I met an M.P. to discuss the matter. Following this, a few things happened that caused me to rethink the matter and guided me to change my mind and not submit my application to become a candidate.
My wife and I have been blessed with 3 children whom I am very proud of. Gabriele, was born in 1976. He attended McGill University obtaining a degree in Civil and Common Law. Prior to this, he had pursued his love for music by obtaining a Diplôme d’études collégiales from Marianopolis College and a Diploma in Music from the Académie de Musique du Québec. Advocate since 2002, practicing before the Immigration and Refugee Board for the Federal Government in Immigration law representing the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and the Minister of Public Security and Emergency Preparedness
Sabrina, our second child, was born in 1977. She graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and Italian Studies at McGill University. Sabrina then pursued her interest in Human Resources and obtained a certificate in HR Management from McGill University. She worked for 14 years in various Human Resources positions mainly in the Pharmaceutical industry. Lately, she has aspired to develop further is currently a Compliance Associate at Takeda Canada Inc., is also pursuing a certification in Data Privacy.
We really wanted a third child and finally Claudia came along in 1988. She graduated from McGill University with a double major Political Science and History, as well as a minor in Italian Studies. At the same time, Claudia obtained a Diploma in Piano and Music Theory at the Académie de Musique du Québec. In 2011, Claudia attended the University of Toronto and in 2012 obtained her Teaching Degree. She currently works for the Toronto Catholic District School Board and teaches extended French and social studies in French.
2016 - Mtre. Danielle Gagliardi
Mtre Danielle Gagliardi has been a notary since 1985.
In 1980, she earned her Bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Sherbrooke. Mtre Gagliardi did her internships in the federal and provincial public services. In 1984, she earned she Bachelor of Law from the Université de Sherbrooke. In 1985, Mtre Danielle Gagliardi received her diploma in notarial law from the Université de Sherbrooke.
From 1985 to 1994, she practiced as a notary in private practice and was a consultant for the Royal Bank of Canada within the Property Department.
In 1995, Mtre Gagliardi was hired by the Chambre des notaires du Québec, and served as its Deputy Secretary of the Disciplinary Council, the Compensation Fund Committee and the Review Committee until 2000. From 2000 to 2008, she served as Deputy Secretary of the Order of the Chambre des notaires du Québec and in 2008, Mtre Danielle Gagliardi was named Secretary of the Chambre des notaires du Québec, its Présidente d'élection and Deputy Registrar.
Mtre Gagliardi leads a team of more than twenty-five (25) people within both the Secretariat of the Order of the Chambre des notaires du Québec and the Registers of Testamentary Dispositions and Mandates departments. As a member of the Executive Committee, she collaborates in the implementation of major projects within the Order of the Chambre des notaires du Québec.
2015 - Mtre. Giuseppe Battista
Mtre. Giuseppe Battista is a partner at the law firm Battista, Turcot, Isreal. He practices in the areas of criminal, penal and disciplinary law.
Mtre Battista received his law degree in 1985 from UQAM, Université du Québec in Montrealand was called to the Barreau du Québec in 1986.
Mtre Giuseppe Battista is the author of several conferences and training courses given at the provincial, national and international levels.
HIS PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES AND DESIGNATIONS
In January 2006 he was registered on the list of counsel authorized to plead before the International Criminal Court. In September 2008, Mtre Battista was designated as a member of the team of prosecutors at the Oliphant Commission to investigate allegations about financial and business dealings between Karlheinz Schreiber and the Right Honorable Brian Mulroney. In October 2009, he acted as Amicus curiae of Trial Chamber III of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, providing his legal opinion. In May 2010, Mtre Giuseppe Battista acted as Chief Prosecutor of the Bastarache Commission, commission of Inquiry into the Quebec Judicial Appointment Process.
HIS TITLES & MENTIONS
1995 Recipient of the Montreal Association of Defense Lawyers Award of Distinction in the case of R. v. Daviault, [1994] 3 S.C.R. 63
1998 Recipient of the Distinction Award(amonsgt other lawyers) from the Association des Avocats de la Défense de Montréal in the Maranda v. Canada (Royal Gendarmerie), [1997] J.Q. no 3730 case
2009 Title of, AD.E, lawyer emeritus awarded by the Barreau du Québec
2012 Recipient of the Léo-René Maranda Award from the Association of Defense Lawyers of Montreal
2014 Invited as a member to American College of Trial Lawyers
COMMITTEES AND ASSOCIATIONS
From 1993 to 1998, Mtre Giuseppe Battista acted as a member of the Montreal Bar Committee on the Administration of Justice. During that same period, he acted as a member of the council of the criminal section of the Quebec section of the Canadian Bar, member of the Criminal Law Committee of the Barreau du Québec, member of the Quebec delegation, as representative of the Barreau du Québec, at both conferences on the Harmonization of the Laws of Canada, held in Quebec, and in Ottawa.
From 1997 to 1998 Mtre Battista was a member of the team of prosecutors of the Poitras Commission, commission of Inquiry responsible for investigating the Sûreté du Québec.
From 2002 to 2003, he was co-chair of the Advance Team Ethics Committee for the creation of the BPI, International Criminal Bar and worked on the draft of its code of ethics.
From 2003 to 2005, Mtre Giuseppe Battista acted as co-chair of the BPI ethics committee at the general assembly held in Berlin, Germany.
In November 2005, he was elected in LaHaye on the advice of the International Criminal Bar, as representative of the Barreau du Québec. That same year Mtre Battista was appointed as a member of a sub-committee of the Canadian Judicial Council on the development of jury instructions.
Since 2002, Mtre Battista, has been a member of the International Association of Defense Lawyers and its vice-president and a member of the board of directors of the Association des Avocats de la Défense de Montréal.
Me Giuseppe Battista is the author of several conferences and training courses given at the provincial, national and international levels.
2014 - The Honourable Mtre Antonio Discepola
Mtre Discepola completed his Bachelor's degree with joint honours in Political Science and Economics in 1974, with the hope of making a career in public life, politics, diplomacy, or perhaps a military career. He was a reservist in the Armed Forces of Canada, “Royal Canadian Hussars".
Mtre Antonio Discepola received his law degree from McGill University in 1977 and was called to the Barreau du Québec in 1978.
After a few years of practice, in 1980 he founded a legal firm, with Mtre Antonio Di Ciocco, then mayor of the City of St-Léonard, and Mtre Michel Bissonnet, member of the National Assembly of Quebec. Mtre Carmine Mercadante joined the firm in 1981. This thriving law firm still exists today.
In 1991, Mtre Discepola was appointed commissioner at the Occupational Injury Appeal Board. He was then receiving training from the National School of Public Administration in Quebec. In April 1992, Mtre Antonio Discepola was the first lawyer of Italian origin to be appointed judge of the Municipal Court of Montreal, where he presided over trials in criminal, penal and civil law.
As soon as he arrived at the Municipal Court of Montreal, several of his judgments were published in legal reviews. He is also involved in the training of judges of the court.
With Mtre Discepola's thirteen (13) years of private practice in civil law and his twenty-four (24) years as a judge in criminal and penal law, he has certainly acquired the expertise to preside over civil and criminal trials, an exceptional quality in a jurist.
On June 2nd, 1999, he was appointed, by the Republic of Italy, Knight Officer of the Order of Merit.
In 2002, he received "The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Commemerative Medal" for his social implication.
In 2005, he received a distinction of merit from Casa D'Italia for his implication in the Italian community.
In late April 2002, he became co-founder of the Association of Italian-Canadian Jurists of Quebec, which brings together Judges, Jurists, Lawyers, Notaries, law professors and law students of Italian origin.
2013 - Mtre. Aldo M. Cocciardi
Mtre. Aldo M. Cocciardi has been a member of the Chambre des Notaires du Québec since 1970. He obtained his law degree from the University of Ottawa in 1969. He joined Esposito, Beaulieu in 1970 and where Mtre Cocciardi became a partner in 1977 until 1987, after which he decided to open his own practice.
Mtre. Cocciardi's practice covers all aspects of notarial practice and more particularly real estate law, both residential and commercial, and personal rights, as well as inheritance.
Mtre. Cocciardi was a member of the Disciplinary Committee of the Chambre des Notaires du Québec from 1993 to 2005 where he rendered several decisions with the other members of the Committee relating to offenses committed under the Notarial Act and its regulations. He has also worked in the financial field. He joined the Board of Directors of the Italian Canadian Trust in 1981. He became a member of its Executive Committee and Chairman of the Audit and Ethics Committee from 1984 until 1997.
He subsequently became President of the Caisse Populaire Desjardins Canadien Italienne from 1997 until 2007 and in this capacity, he proceeded with the General Manager of the Caisse Populaire Desjardins Canadien Italianne as well as the directors of Desjardins to the transformation of the Canadian Italian Trust to the Caisse Populaire Desjardins Canadien Italianne. During his presidency of the Caisse Populaire Desjardins Canadien Italienne, he was, among other things, responsible with the General Manager of the Caisse Populaire Desjardins Canadien Italianne or the establishment of a system of granting sponsorships and donations to various organizations including associations of the Italian Community. He has also been legal adviser to several companies.
2012 - Mtre. Antonio Sciascia
Mtre. Sciascia has been a member of the Quebec Bar since 1974. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws from the Université of Montréal in 1972 and a University Certificate in Corporate Governance from Université Laval in 2010.
He is the principal partner of Sciascia, Fargnoli, Corbeil & Associés since 1974, specializing in business law, mediation and arbitration.
As president of the National Congress of Italian-Canadians, he is very involved as a representative of the community to government authorities on cultural issues, such as language of instruction, multiculturalism, immigration, internees from WWII and the repatriation of the constitution.
Responsible for several cultural and social initiatives such as the Italian week of Montreal, which brings together a multitude of cultural, social and recreational initiatives throughout the metropolitan area of Montreal. He is an experienced promoter of various conferences and initiatives dedicated to the benefit of the interests of the Italian-Canadian community, amongst which are:
Responsible for the fundraising campaign for the 2009 Aquila-Abruzzo earthquake and S.O.S. ltalia 1980 regions of Campania and Basilicata.
President of the Quebec region of the National Congress of Italian-Canadians from both 1981-1984 and 2007-present;
Secretary of the Montreal Little Italy Commercial Development Corporation 2009-2010;
Founding President of the Sicilian Federation of Quebec 2007 to 2010;
Vice-President of the Sicilian Confederation of North America (CSNA) 2006 to 2008;
Member of the board of directors of Hôpital Santa-Cabrini since 2003;
Legal adviser of the Quebec college of family physicians 1998 to 2005;
Secretary of the Association for the Promotion of Little Italy in Montreal 1996 to 2002;
President of the Academy of Arts le Maschere 1990 to 1994;
President of the Dante Optimist Club 1991-1992;
President of the National Congress of Italian-Canadians 1986 to 1988;
Member of the Council of Presidents of the Canadian Ethna-cultural Council 1987;
Commissioner of the Canadian Multiculturalism Advisory Council 1981 to 1983;
Founding President of the Association Trinacria de Montréal 1979 to 1981;
President of CTEQ Télévision Inc. as well as Communication Tele-Gente Inc. 1978-1985 and 1995-1998.
2011 - Mtre. Nicola Di Iorio
Mtre. Di Iorio is a member of the Barreau du Québec since 1982. He obtained his bachelor's degree in law from the Université de Sherbrooke in 1981. He also obtained a master's degree in law from Columbia University in New York in 1983.
Mtre. Di lorio joined the firm Heenan Blaikie in 1988, after having been an associate professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Sherbrooke from 1983 to 1988. In addition to his practice, Mtre. Di lorio teaches various subjects relating to law work. He has taught at the Université de Montreal, Concordia University and McGill University. The courses for which he was responsible dealt with property law as well as the law of obligations. In addition, he taught a course entitled “The Art of Negotiation” at the Professional Training School of the Barreau du Québec, where he currently teaches labor law, administrative law and civil liberties. He also gave courses on the law of obligations as part of the training on the reform of the Civil Code provided to lawyers by the Barreau du Québec. He has been a partner of Heenan Blakie since 1992. Mtre. Di lorio is a member of the board of directors of MégaBrands where he chairs the human resources and remuneration committee.
Mtre. Di lorio's practice covers all aspects of labor law, employment law as well as relevant aspects of administrative law.
Mtre. Di lorio is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He is co-author of the two editions of the book Labor standards, published by Éditions Revue de Droit of the Université de Sherbrooke. In addition, Mtre. Di lorio held the position of director of the Revue de droit of the Université deSherbrooke from 1984 to 1987. Since the start of his career, Mtre. Di lorio has given numerous lectures on all aspects of law labor and employment and has published extensively on the subject.
In the company of Mr. Jos Borsellino and Mr. Silvio De Rose, Mtre. Di Iorio proceeded to found the Leonardo Da Vinci Center. Moreover, he has been governor of the Canadian-Italian Community Foundation of Quebec since 1994. He sat on the board of trustees of this organization for two (2) terms.
2010 - Mtre. Rita de Santis
Mtre. de Santis was an associate member of the firm Davies, Ward, Phillips & Vineburg, a firm specializing in corporate and commercial law, commercial real estate, corporate finance and securities and public-private partnerships. She specializes in international law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate law and project finance.
Mtre Rita DeSantis has assisted corporations and government and quasi-government entities on projects as diverse as the establishment of telecommunications joint ventures in China, real estate investment in Poland, the acquisition of newspapers in Canada, and state funding. -United. She also accompanied clients on trade missions to Africa and advised the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group on the establishment of a mortgage system in Palestine, a project involving the Palestinian government authorities.
McGill University, B.C.L., 1981 (scholar)
McGill University, B.Sc., with honors specialisation in 1976 in biochemistry
HER PRIZES AND MENTIONS
Named one of the top one hundred (100) most Influential Canadian Women in 2009 by the Network of Executive Women. Her name appears in The Best Lawyers in Canada directory in the area of project finance Recognized in the Canadian legal directory expert® as a lawyer whose services are regularly recommended in areas of property development of average sized companies. Mtre Rita DeSantis received one of the highest honors awarded by Martindale Hubbell.
Mtre. De Santis has made presentations at various conferences, notably in 2010 How to get in the chair on Access for women to company boards presented by the Barreau de Montréal and on Choose the most favorable law taking into account your options in terms of dispute resolution and knowing how to get out of conflict situations presented by the Canadian Institute; in 2008, in an interactice round table on project financing at the Quebec Forum on PPP and Infrastructure Financing, in 2006, on funding available for public-private partnerships at a conference organized in Montreal by lnsight; in 2005, Setting up Business Abroad: Let Us Go China on setting up a business in China as part of the Isaac Pitblado lecture series, in Winnipeg; and in February and June 2005, on the distinction between public-private partnerships and other public sector contractual approaches at the Canadian Institute in Montreal.
In 2012, she was elected member of the National Assembly of Quebec, for the county of Bourassa-Sauvé from 2012 to 2018. Mtre DeSantis held the position of Minister responsible for Access to Information and the Reform of Democratic Institutions from 2016 to 2017.
2009 - The Honourable Jean-François Buffoni
Jean-François Buffoni was born in Selino Basso, province of Bergamo, Italy. Admitted to the Barreau de Québec in 1974, he practiced at Martineau Walker, which became in 2000 Fasken Martineau. After a few years in civil and commercial litigation, he specialized in intellectual property litigation prior to being appointed a judge on Fefruary 26, 2002 of the Superior Court of Québec. Involved in his community, Justice Buffoni was a member of various legal, business and professional associations.
Mr. Justice Jean Francois Buffoni is one of the co-founders of the Association of Italian-Canadian Jurists of Quebec and a person who inspires all Italian-Canadian jurists.
2008 - Mtre. John Ciaccia
Mtre. Ciaccia graduated from the Barreau du Québec in 1957 after studying law at McGill University.
Mtre. John Ciaccia began his career as a lawyer in private practice. He has acted as a consultant to the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and responsible for the program concerning the Indians and Eskimos of Canada. This led Mtre Ciaccia to become assistant deputy minister of this ministry.
With this experience in the federal government, Mtre. John Ciaccia was elected to the National Assembly in 1971. In 1975, Mtre. Ciaccia responded to Prime Minister Robert Bourassa's urgent appeal to represent him during the negotiation of the Convention of James Bay and Northern Quebec in 1975. Re-elected from 1976 to 1994 for six (6)consecutive terms, Mtre. John Ciaccia joined Prime Minister Robert Bourassa's office in 1985 as Minister of Energy and Resources.
Mtre. Ciaccia was then entrusted with numerous ministries by Prime Ministers Robert Bourassa and Daniel Johnson. He notably acted as Minister for Indigenous Affairs, a position that plunged him into the heart of the Oka crisis of 1990. During his illustrious career, Mtre John Ciaccia held the positions of Minister of International Affairs and Minister of International Affairs, Immigration and Cultural Communities, positions in which he cultivated direct relations with both governments and businesses.
2007 - The Honourable Yvan Macerola
Justice Yvan Macerola studied law at the Université de Montréal and McGill University.
He practiced within one of the first law firms of Italian origin in our community, to which other illustrious jurists were part, namely Mtre. A. Malouf, Mtre. B. Pateras, Mtre. J. Galileo and several others.
In 1970 Mr. Justice Macerola was one of the founders of the Italian Canadian Trust (now the Italian Canadian Caisse Populaire) and after a few years became its secretary.
On October 4, 1978 he was appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec, the second judge of Italian origin to be appointed to the Superior Court after Justice Sciortino.
In 1991 Justice Marcerola was appointed Coordinating Judge for the judicial district of Laval, a position he held until March 2002 when he became a supernumerary judge.
He was a pioneer who paved the way for other judges of Italian origin.
2006 - Mtre. Pierre Ciotola
Mtre. Pierre Ciotola obtained his doctorate in Law at the Université de Montréal and subsequently became a member of the Chambre de Notaire in 1967. Holder of a bachelor, a master and a doctorate from the Université de Montréal, Mtre Ciotola was hired as a professor of law in 1969 and he led an exemplary teaching career and he directed the Notary program at the Faculty of Law of Université de Montréal between 2002 and 2004 and he was appointed the Chair of the Chambre de Notaire du Québec.
An excellent teacher, Mtre. Pierre Ciotola has taught thousands of students the law of securities, inheritance, consumer protection, property law, notarial law and non-contentious practices, the interpretation of contracts and the law of family, persons & matrimonial law.
It should be noted that at the Faculty of Law of the Université de Montréal, he did pioneer work by being one of the first to integrate the use of information technologies into his teaching. A prolific author and sought-after and respected speaker, Mtre Pierre Ciotola has participated in a number of important debates in civil law. Over the years, he has participated in almost all of the Faculty's committees. Mtre Ciotola was also very involved in the Chambre de Notaire du Québec and in the legal community, in particular during the revision of the Civil Code.
Responsible for several years of notarial training at the Faculty of Law of the Université de Montréal, he was appointed the first holder of the Notarial Chair, which he competently led and to which he instilled an innovative vision. Mtre. Pierre Ciotola, great jurist, a straightforward and loyal man, with a sense of duty and for a job well done.
2005 - The Honourable Frank Iacobucci
The Honourable Frank Iacobucci, graciously accepted to be the 1st member and honoree of the Association of Italian-Canadian Jurists of Québec.
Justice Iacobucci was born to Italian immigrants and grew up in the East End of Vancouver. At seventeen(17) he was hired to work alongside his father in a steel foundry, and was told by the superintendent that if he was a fraction of the worker his father was he would be a success. The money he earned at the steel foundry was put toward his education at the University of British Columbia, which in turn facilitated a distinguished legal career spanning private practice, academia, government and the judiciary.
After pursuing private practice in New York, Justice Frank Iacobucci pursued an academic career at the University of Toronto, which included serving as Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto from 1979 to 1983. In 1985, Justice Iacobucci was appointed Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General for Canada. He was subsequently appointed Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada in 1988, and served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada from 1991 to 2004. After retiring from the bench, Justice Iacobucci served as interim President of the University of Toronto, after which he joined Torys LLP as Counsel.
Justice Frank Iacobucci has acted for the Federal Government and the Ontario Government on a broad range of issues, including serving as the federal negotiator for the Indian Residential Schools settlement, which ultimately resulted in the largest legal settlement in Canadian history to date. Justice Iacobucci has also been asked to conduct independent reviews for various organisations, including a recent report for the Chief of Police in Toronto on encounters of the police with people in crisis.
Justice Iacobucci was recognized by the Allard Law Alumni Association as the recipient of the 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes an extraordinary alumna/alumnus who has set a high standard for volunteerism, philanthropy and/or professional accomplishment, and has been an example for all. In July 2007, he was appointed a Companion in the Order of Canada and in 2009 received the Justice Medal for lifetime achievement from the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice.
Justice Iacobucci was the first Italian-Canadian, allophone judge on the Court and was the recipient of numerous awards, honours and other recognitions in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and in Italy.

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