Officer of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: November 20, 1997
• Invested on: November 27, 1997

He has had a distinguished career in law and public service, notably as a lawyer, professor, legal scholar, writer, researcher and jurist. As part of a first generation of Quebec law professors, he helped establish the field of law as a discipline at the Université de Montreal. He has also greatly contributed to reforms in civil law, particularly family law, civil liability and property law. His many articles and groundbreaking books are highly respected in the realm of civil law and continue to be studies to this day. He has also served as a highly accomplished Justice of the Quebec Superior Court and Court of Appeal. His lucid and scholarly judgements have led the way for courts and law reformers.