Judge David St. Pierre has served as a model, mentor and inspiration for  young people, particularly for racialized minority students, in part because he has spoken so openly about his own background and the challenges faced by Black people in western Canada. 

In revealing interviews with the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada, Raise the Bar Legal Access and Diversity Initiative, and the Allard Faculty of Law History Project he has discussed his adoption at birth, an early brush with the law, and time spent as a struggling musician before he became a lawyer. 

Judge St. Pierre was born in Vancouver and adopted into a mixed face family of five children and many foster children. “It was like a total united nations family. At any given time, we had up to ten children in the house.”, he says. The family moved to Sherwood Park, Alberta where he went to high school, one of a handful of Black students in a student body of 2000. He explains, “When you grow up Black in Western Canada, it's a different experience because you are in the extreme minority to the point of being a token.”

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A lifelong love of music took hold when he played in a band during high school. He then studied psychology and philosophy at the University of Alberta where he loved the student life. After graduation, he became a professional musician for a few years, working at a music store to pay the bills. Eventually he developed a “Plan B” and enrolled at the University of Calgary law school. 

There he got involved in the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada, then in its first year, and served as Vice President for the Western region. Judge St. Pierre recalls how empowering it was to attend BLSA conferences with more than 100 Black students, and to be in the majority for once.

While at law school he also volunteered in the students’ legal advice program and participated in a task force drafting human rights legislation. Judge St. Pierre said he felt welcome and respected at law school. But he also remembers having trouble finding a place to live as a black student. On one occasion a suite was magically rented in the short time between his telephoning to enquire and his arrival at the door. Nevertheless, he says, “I don’t think the presence of race is crushing or all-consuming unless you make it that way. Most of my university experience was positive.” 

Judge St. Pierre attributes his success to confidence and a positive attitude, and he’s worked at achieving both. He explains, “As a marginalized person you do not have the luxury of being mediocre. Others may have connections that compensate for mediocrity, but you don’t.” 

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After graduating from law school, he returned to Vancouver and practised criminal law for 15 years. He chose that area of law due to an early experience. When he was 18 he was charged with possessing a prohibited weapon - a studded wristband he had left on after a gig. He got a lawyer and went to court. The charge was withdrawn because the wristband wasn’t a weapon, but it had a lasting impact. The experience brought home to him the state’s power to interfere with individual liberties. As a criminal defence lawyer he could work to make sure that any such interference is lawful, constitutional, and free of racial bias.

In 2009 Judge St. Pierre was appointed a Provincial Court judge. Since then, he has worked primarily in the Vancouver courts. He has served on the executive of the BC Provincial Court Judges’ Association, as its president, and as a committee chair for many years. 

Music remains a constant in his life. During most of his legal and judicial careers, Judge St. Pierre has played with rock, reggae and soul bands. He finds music a therapeutic outlet for stress and frustration. 

Judge St. Pierre speaks frequently to student and other groups. Recently, he’s been a guest instructor at the Allard School of Law and the School of Journalism at the University of British Columbia. When speaking to students, he often shares thoughtful and inspiring messages.

If you choose positivity, and you believe in it, it becomes self empowerment. It’s the engine that keeps you going when times get tough. 

You have to get involved in helping those behind you get forward. When you become a lawyer, you have to get involved with helping others to reach their goals and help them on their road to success.  If you have the power to inspire someone behind you, that is a superpower!

There is a great book about Black pioneers in BC called “Go Do Some Great Thing” by Crawford Kilian. That’s my message, “Go do some great thing.” There is a world out there that could use your talents, your expertise, and your help. I think you have an obligation to use that power.

                                                                                                Judge David St. Pierre

https://www.blsacanada.com/post/fireside-chat-with-justice-st-pierre

https://raisethebarlaw.ca/blog/f/featured-lawyer-the-honorable-david-st-pierre

https://historyproject.allard.ubc.ca/law-history-project/profile/judge-david-st-pierre