No. 11:2023
15 May 2023
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. On Thursday, 11 May 2023, the Hon. Mr Justice Peter Jamadar received an honorary doctorate from Emmanuel College of Victoria University, in the University of Toronto, Canada. Mr Justice Jamadar is currently a Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
The CCJ family is deeply proud of Mr Justice Jamadar’s many achievements and congratulates him on his display of the Court’s core values: excellence, courtesy and consideration, integrity, and industry. In support of the conferment of this profound honour, it was noted by the CCJ President, the Hon. Mr Justice Adrian Saunders, that “Justice Jamadar is one of those rare persons who combines a tremendous work ethic with a penchant for excellence. His judicial work is distinctively underpinned with an enduring commitment to fairness and the advancement of human rights. In this regard, the impressive body of judgments he has authored speaks for itself. Running throughout each of his judicial opinions is a common thread; a fierce and unyielding desire to advance the legitimate interests of the disadvantaged, minorities, those who depend on the courts to protect them against abuse.”
Justice Jamadar is no stranger to Emmanuel College, Victoria University and the University of Toronto. In 1997, he obtained the degree of Master of Divinity (First Class) from the tertiary institutions. In his acceptance speech, Justice Jamadar stated, “the experiences and values of Emmanuel College and Victoria University, of the University of Toronto, have shaped my profession and my life. My work as a judge, and my jurisprudence – especially in human rights, procedural and therapeutic justice, as well as my interventions in gender, disability, LGBTQIA+ and other issues – that seek the betterment of justice for all; my service in the Foundation for Human Development and the Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago; my roles in the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute and the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers and broader facilitation as a judicial educator and researcher; and the leadership/service roles I play; my friendships, family life and marriage.” He indicated that for him these values manifest in the area of law “as justice grounded in inherent dignity, substantive equality, fundamental fairness, and freedom, … that seeks the best interests and good of all parties and communities, and healing and renewal wherever possible.” And he invited all persons to let their “living make a difference.”
The conferral was part of the 2023 Emmanuel College, Victoria University Convocation and graduation.