Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay honour to the life of Mr. Justice John Sopinka.
I was a great admirer of his judicial reasoning. In particular Judge Sopinka resisted activist tendencies on the part of some jurists to make decisions which are properly within the purview of Parliament. He gave real meaning to the doctrine of deference to the will of Parliament in both Egan and Rodriguez decisions. In other words, he challenged Parliament to do its job and to create law in areas of moral controversy because he realized unlike many others that judge-made law in those areas was really a reflection of parliamentary failure.
He leaves a legacy of sound judicial reasoning and practical guidance to litigants and legislators alike. He will be greatly missed.