Canadian legal scholar (1945–2023)
Peter William Hutchins (November 6, 1945 – January 13, 2023) was a Canadian lawyer specializing in Canadian Aboriginal law. He was "one of [Canada's] top litigators in aboriginal cases".
Early life and academic career.
Hutchins received a bachelor of arts at McGill University, followed then by his legal education at Université Laval in Quebec City where he obtained an LL.L and at the London School of Economics, University of London where he received an LL.M in international law. In 1980 he created for the Faculty of Law, McGill University, the course Aboriginal Peoples and the Law, which he continued to teach until 1996.
Legal career.
As a litigator, Hutchins appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Canada, the courts of Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, the Northwest Territories, as well as the United Nations Human Rights Committee and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. In addition to litigating, he worked to improve the litigation process, notably by advocating that expert witness be less partisan and more independent.
He was involved in negotiations concerning historic and contemporary treaties between First Nations and the Crown in right of Canada. Hutchins advised the Federal and Territorial governments on Aboriginal governance and treaty implementation issues. He lectured and wrote on the Inuit and arctic sovereignty.
James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement.
Hutchins acted for the Cree of northern Quebec during the negotiation of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, which upon its conclusion in 1975 became the first modern treaty between the Crown and a Canadian First Nation.
Supreme Court of Canada litigation.
Hutchins appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada in numerous cases relating to Canadian Aboriginal law:
Memberships and Associations.
Hutchins was a member of the Barreau du Quebec from 1970. He was a founding member and past-chair of the Canadian Bar Association National Aboriginal Law Section. He has been a member of the Federal Court Statutory Rules Committee since 2006 and its Sub-Committee on Expert Evidence. He was a member of the Canadian Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the International Bar Association, the Canadian Council on International Law, the American Society of International Law, the International Commission of Jurists and the International Law Association.
Publications.
Hutchins authored or co-authored numerous peer reviewed articles:
Awards.
In 2012, Hutchins was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by Senator Charlie Watt for his career dedicated to advancing the rights of aboriginal people.
Hutchins was repeatedly listed as a leading practitioner in Aboriginal Law by Best Lawyer and as "most frequently recommended" in The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory.
Personal life and death.
Hutchins was married and had one child. He died on January 13, 2023.
References.
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