the conduct of the inquiry does not jeopardize any ongoing criminal investigation or criminal proceedings." In other words, Gomery's mandate was only to determine whether there were problems with the federal sponsorship program in Quebec between 1995 and 2003; he was explicitly forbidden to name any individuals or organizations that may have been responsible for the alleged fraud that occurred during the sponsorship program. Gomery's report, available in several parts e.g. Restoring Accountability: Recommendations, assisted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with further investigations, which led to criminal charges being filed and prosecuted against certain key figures in the scandal. He has been criticized by many, in particular Chrétien supporters, who saw his dealings in the commission as biased. Others also criticized Gomery's terms of reference which did not allow the inquiry to investigate Paul Martin's contracting habits as finance minister. In 2005, the Canadian Press named Gomery Newsmaker of the Year. Time magazine also named him its Canadian Newsmaker of the Year. Jean Chrétien went to federal court to clear his name and have the Gomery report invalidated. On June 26, 2008, federal judge Max Teitelbaum criticized Gomery for making comments that indicated he judged issues before all evidence was heard and exhibited bias against Chrétien. The federal judge also ruled that Gomery's comments on "small town cheap" amounted to a personal insult against Chrétien. The court criticized the Gomery inquiry's conclusions that Chrétien and Jean Pelletier bore responsibility for the sponsorship scandal. Family life Gomery married Pierrette Rayle in 1973, she started as a new hire at Gomery's firm of Martineau Walker in 1969. Rayle was appointed to the Superior Court of Quebec on May 9, 1995, making them the first couple to serve as Superior Court judges in Quebec. Together they had four children. Gomery was diagnosed with Leukemia in the early 2000s which was successfully treated. Gomery's daughter Sally A. Gomery was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice on July 1, 2017. Gomery's son Geoffrey B. Gomery was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia on June 15, 2018. Later life Gomery suffered two strokes between 2020 and 2021 and contracted COVID-19. He made the decision to obtain medical assistance in dying and died on May 18, 2021. References Bibliography Further reading 1932 births 2021 deaths Judges in Quebec People from Montreal Anglophone Quebec people Canadian King's Counsel McGill University Faculty of Law alumni