Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed Ontario Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin to the Supreme Court of Canada. She is the first Indigenous person to be asked to sit on Canada’s highest court.
O’Bonsawin has been a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa since 2017 and, according to the PMO, has “expertise in the areas of mental health, Gladue principles, labor law and employment, human rights and privacy. “
In a statement announcing the appointment, Trudeau said O’Bonsawin is an Abenaki member of the Odanak First Nation and a fully bilingual Franco-Ontarian born in Hanmer, Ont.
Before making history as the first Indigenous woman to become a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, O’Bonsawin was general counsel at the Royal Ottawa, a mental health hospital in Ottawa. She began her legal career with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Legal Services and taught Aboriginal Law at the University of Ottawa.
A process will now unfold in which parliamentarians will hear directly from O’Bonsawin and other officials, including Justice Minister David Lametti, about the selection process and his appointment.
In offering public congratulationsLametti called O’Bonsawin’s nomination a “historic moment” for the Supreme Court and for Canada.
The selection process for the next Supreme Court justice was launched in April. An independent advisory board chaired by former Prince Edward Island premier Wade MacLauchlan then reviewed the candidates and sent Trudeau a shortlist of names to consider.
“Her appointment is the result of an open, non-partisan selection process. I am confident that Justice O’Bonsawin will bring invaluable knowledge and contributions to our nation’s highest court,” Trudeau said in a statement.
O’Bonsawin’s appointment is intended to fill the vacancy created by the upcoming retirement on September 1 of Supreme Court Justice Michael Moldaver.
More soon.