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Portraits of former Chief Justices of Manitoba unveiled on Law Day, April 13, 2014

Posted on April 16, 2014

An  historic unveiling ceremony for portraits of four former Chief Justices of Manitoba took place on Law Day, Sunday, April 13, 2014 on the second floor of The Law Courts.  The portraits are of:

          The Honourable Richard J. Scott (1990 to 2013)

          The Honourable Alfred M. Monnin (1983 to 1990)

          The Honourable Samuel Freedman (1971 to 1983)

          The Honourable C. Rhodes Smith (1967 to 1971).

The families of each former Chief Justice attended the ceremony and participated in the unveiling of these portraits for viewing by the public for the first time.  Judges from all levels of court, lawyers, elected officials and government staff were present to celebrate this special occasion.  

The Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, the Honourable Philip S. Lee and the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Manitoba, the Honourable Andrew Swan, brought greetings.  The Honourable Richard J. Scott expressed gratitude on behalf of himself, his family and the families of the other former Chief Justices.

The portrait of The Honourable Richard J. Scott, was recently commissioned after his retirement. The others had been stored away, most in the basement of the Law Courts complex, since the early 1970’s when the new Law Courts building was constructed and the old Law Courts building restored.   Most required restoration.

The restoration required the dedication and support of a special committee chaired by The Honourable Richard Chartier, Chief Justice of Manitoba.  At the ceremony, he acknowledged, with deep appreciation, the following individuals and organizations for their support and expertise:

  • Martin Jandavs, Facility Manager for the Law Courts Complex from Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation
  • Susanne Parent, Director of Operations from Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation
  • Karen Glennie, Legislative Event Coordinator from Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation
  • Lisa Desilets, Visual Arts Consultant from Tourism, Culture, Heritage, Sport and Consumer Protection
  • Karen Fulham, Executive Director Judicial Services
  • Aimee Fortier, Executive Assistant to the Chief Justices and Chief Judge of Manitoba
  • Karen Bryk, Deputy Chief of Protocol from the Office of Protocol

Chief Justice Chartier also recognized the important financial contributions of the Law Society of Manitoba, the Manitoba Law Foundation, and three departments of the Government of Manitoba: Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation, Tourism, Culture, Heritage, Sport and Consumer Protection and the Department of Justice.

In addition to the four portraits unveiled at the ceremony, three other portraits of former Chief Justices have been restored and now hang in the second floor hallway. They are:

                             -The Honouarble E. Alexander McPherson (1944 to1954)

                             -The Honourable John Evans Adamson (1955 to 1961)

                             -The Honourable Calvert Charlton Miller (1961 to 1967)

Since Manitoba’s entry into Confederation,  portraits of the Chief Justices of Manitoba have been commissioned, initially by the Law Society of Manitoba and, in latter years, by the Government of Manitoba.  The seven portraits now hanging on the second floor of the Old Law Courts Building will be joined by others  as this important restoration project continues. 

 

Information on this page last updated on August 15, 2014