For Immediate Release
August 13, 2004
Winnipeg – Dan Gardner of the Ottawa Citizen and Sylvie Fournier and Pier Gagné of Société Radio-Canada’s Enjeux are the winners of the fifth annual Justicia Awards for Excellence in Journalism.
Special certificates of merit were also awarded to Jean-Maurice Bouchard of the Montreal’s Magazine Finance, and Julie Vaillancourt and Geneviève Turcotte from Radio-Canada’s Justice.
The awards, whose winners were announced at the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) Canadian Legal Conference, are sponsored by the Law Commission of Canada, the CBA, and the federal Department of Justice.
Mr. Gardner won in the print category for his series of seven columns written in late 2003 and early 2004 which critically examined a popular idea or assumption about Canadian justice, ranging from judicial activism to gun control, “get tough on crime” attitudes and the operation of the courts.
The Justicia Award jury was impressed with the clarity of Dan Gardner’s presentation. “The columns were crisp and clear and as a series, the articles provided a well-argued tour of the legal issues. Readers come away from the work with an interest and better understanding of the forces driving justice in Canada.”
The judges awarded a certificate of merit to Mr. Bouchard for his November 2003 article "Le Quebec devient le paradis des recours collectifs," which looked at the impact of new class action rules in Quebec which are among the most liberal in North America. The jury said this “well-structured report fosters awareness and understanding of an area of litigation of interest to a growing number of Canadians. It clearly explains the attraction and dangers of class action suits and draws attention to Quebec legislation.”
This year's winners in the broadcast category are Ms. Fournier, journalist, and Mr. Gagné, producer, for their report "Que justice soit faite" broadcast on the program Enjeux in November 2003. This emotional and dramatic television documentary reported on a novel restorative justice approach to the relations between victims and perpetrators of incest in Quebec and Manitoba.
The judges praised the report for its handling of a sensitive issue without sensationalism. “The report effectively shows the changes experienced by both groups when they are brought together, as well as the difficulties and pitfalls of this novel approach.”
A certificate of merit was awarded to Ms. Vaillancourt and Ms. Turcotte for their reportage "Le droit de ne pas voir" broadcast in February. Their thought-provoking report looked at the first case of its kind in Quebec that put on trial a woman for criminal negligence for allegedly failing to stop her husband’s incestuous relationship with her daughters. The jury noted the report “raises the many complex questions about the legal and human issues involved.”
Last year’s winners were Kirk Makin of the Globe and Mail and Tasha Kheiriddin of CPAC.
The Justicia Awards recognize outstanding journalism that fosters public awareness and understanding of any aspect of the Canadian justice system and the roles played by institutions and participants in the legal system.
The criteria for judging entries are accuracy, effectiveness in explaining legal issues to the public, informational value, insight and originality. This year's awards cover stories that were published or broadcast between May 16, 2003 and May 15, 2004.
The entries were judged by Dr. A.J. MacLean, former Dean of Law and Associate Vice President Academic for the University of British Columbia and former editor of the Canadian Bar Review; Peter Desbarats, journalist, and a former Dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of Western Ontario and Maclean Hunter Chair of Communictions Ethics at Ryerson University; and Claude Deschenays of Montréal, legal affairs specialist and former editor-in-chief of the Journal du Barreau du Québec.
The Justicia Awards are sponsored by the Department of Justice, the Law Commission of Canada and the Canadian Bar Association to acknowledge the important role that media play in enhancing public understanding of the legal system.
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CONTACT: Hannah Bernstein, Canadian Bar Association, Aug. 13-17, Winnipeg Convention Centre, Meeting Room 16, (204) 957-4375.
