Canadian Judicial Council completes review of matter involving the Honourable François Huot

Ottawa, March 26, 2025 – A review panel constituted by the Canadian Judicial Council (Council) has completed its review and reached a decision in a matter involving the Honourable François Huot of the Superior Court of Québec. The matter stemmed from a complaint made by the Barreau du Québec concerning remarks made by Justice Huot while imposing a sentence on an accused facing charges of sexual assault and first-degree murder of a 19-year-old girl. The complainant alleged that Justice Huot did not treat the accused “with courtesy and respect” in the performance of his judicial duties.

Following a review of the complaint by a screening officer, the matter was referred to the Honourable J.C. Marc Richard, Chief Justice of New Brunswick, as the designated reviewing member in this matter. Following his own review of the file, Chief Justice Richard referred it to a review panel pursuant to section 95 of the Judges Act, and section 7.11(b) of the Council’s Review Procedures (2023).

After a thorough consideration of the matter, the review panel dismissed the complaint. The review panel noted that any assessment of impugned behaviour must take into account the entire context, including the judge's response to the complaint. In this case, Judge Huot acknowledged that his comments fell short of the ethical standards expected of judges and offered his sincere apologies. Moreover, although the judge's reprimands of the accused were inappropriate, the review panel accepted that they had been influenced by human emotions in the circumstances. The review panel added that it must be recognized that emotions can run high in the courtroom and that judges must retain a certain degree of freedom to express themselves without being held to an impossible standard of weighing their every word, especially in cases where a judge is speaking extemporaneously. Having considered the file as a whole, the review panel agreed with Justice Huot that his conduct had not lived up to the high standards set out in the Ethical Principles for Judges, but determined that his conduct did not constitute judicial misconduct warranting formal sanctions.

The review panel was comprised of the Honourable Chief Justice Tracey DeWare of the Court of King’s Bench of New Brunswick, the Honourable Justice Anne Turner of the Court of Appeal of Manitoba, and a member of the public, Mr. André Dulude. 

A copy of the review panel’s full decision can be accessed from the Council’s website.

About the Canadian Judicial Council

The Council was created in 1971 by the Canadian Parliament to maintain and improve the quality of judicial services in Canada's superior courts. It has the power and duty to investigate complaints into the conduct of federally appointed judges. The Council is also responsible for the continuing education of judges, as well as for developing other tools and programs to maintain public confidence in the judicial system.

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Contact :
Krista Ferraro
Director of Communications and Strategic Issues Management 
Canadian Judicial Council 
info@cjc-ccm.ca