LeBel, Louis (1939-2023), was a Canadian judge. He served as a puisne (associate) judge of the Supreme Court of Canada from 2000 to 2014. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien appointed him to the court. Prior to his appointment, LeBel served as a judge on the Quebec Court of Appeal, the highest court in Quebec.
LeBel was born in Quebec City, Quebec, on Nov. 30, 1939. In 1961, he received a bachelor’s degree in law from Université Laval (Laval University) in Quebec. The following year, he was admitted to the Quebec Bar—that is, the body of lawyers licensed to practice law in that province. He earned a graduate degree in private law from Université Laval in 1965 and a master’s degree in law from the University of Toronto in 1966.
From 1963 to 1984, LeBel practiced law with several private law firms in Quebec City. During those years, he specialized in labor law and administrative law, which deals with the operation of government agencies. From 1982 to 1983, he acted as vice president of the Quebec Bar. Before being appointed to the Quebec Court of Appeal in 1984, LeBel also taught law at the University of Ottawa and Université Laval. LeBel retired from the Supreme Court on Nov. 30, 2014, when he turned 75, the mandatory retirement age for Supreme Court judges. He died on June 8, 2023.
