Michelle O'Bonsawin nominated as Canada's first Indigenous Supreme Court justice
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominated Ontario judge Michelle O’Bonsawin to the Supreme Court of Canada on Friday. She is the first Indigenous person chosen to sit on Canada’s top court and the appointment is being celebrated as filling an important role at the highest level of the country's justice system.
O’Bonsawin has been a judge at Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa since 2017 and, according to the Prime Minister's Office, has "expertise in the areas of mental health, Gladue principles, labour and employment law, human rights, and privacy."
In a statement announcing the nomination, Trudeau said that O’Bonsawin is an Abenaki member of the Odanak First Nation and is a fluently bilingual Franco-Ontarian who was born in Hanmer, Ont.
Prior to making history as the first Indigenous woman to become a judge at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, O’Bonsawin was general counsel for the Royal Ottawa, a specialized mental health hospital in Ottawa. She began her legal career with the legal services at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and has also worked as counsel for Canada Post.
In addition to teaching Indigenous law at the University of Ottawa and serving on its board of governors, earlier this year O’Bonsawin successfully defended her PhD thesis on the application of Gladue principles, which are ways for courts to consider the experiences of Indigenous people when making sentencing decisions.
“Canada’s top court has always been missing an individual to interpret Canadian laws through an Indigenous lens – but not anymore,” said National Chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples Elmer St. Pierre, in a statement on Friday. "O’Bonsawin will help balance Canada’s top bench, providing a vital viewpoint on the country’s most important legal matters."
AFN National Chief RoseAnn Archibald said O'Bonsawin is "making #HERstory."
"It’s an important appointment at a critical time and Justice O’Bonsawin is a qualified choice," Archibald tweeted.
Former senator, justice, and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Murray Sinclair—who advised O'Bonsawin on her application for the position—said he knows how proud her community must be to see her reach this milestone.
"The court is made stronger, and our decisions are better, when there are diverse perspectives where they are needed most. This is especially true as it relates to issues facing Canada’s long journey of reconciliation," Sinclair said. "It is long past due that the court has a seat for an Indigenous Justice, one who has seen first-hand the impact of colonialism on Indigenous communities.”
Chief of the Odanak First Nation Richard O’Bomsawin— a distant cousin of the incoming Supreme Court justice—confirmed what Sinclair had suggested, telling CTV News that she has made her community "very, very proud," and is setting a positive example for other aspiring First Nations' people.
"We need to always strive, go forward, and reach for the stars," he said. "And she has proven this can be done."
Ahead of O'Bonsawin joining the eight other Supreme Court justices, the House of Commons Justice and Human Rights Committee will hear from Justice Minister David Lametti and chair of the independent advisory panel that considered this vacancy, former PEI premier Wade MacLauchlan, about the selection process and her nomination.
Then, the committee will participate, alongside members of the Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs in a question-and-answer session with O’Bonsawin to hear more directly from her about her career, experiences, and goals in the new role. These steps were part of a transparency-motivated change to the selection process made by the Liberals in 2016.
As part of her application, O'Bonsawin wrote about her experience as a First Nations' lawyer, and said that as a child in a working-class household, it was her "dream" to become a lawyer.
"Taking into account my upbringing, it became apparent to me as a lawyer that my next goal was to become a judge in order to share my life’s experience and to continue my public service," she wrote. O'Bonsawin also said her most significant contribution to the law and pursuit of justice in Canada is her "effort to assist all involved in the justice and mental health system with a particular emphasis on Indigenous Peoples."
"I strive for the judiciary to clarify the legal issues in order to have an inclusive and compassionate legal system for First Nations, Inuit and Métis," she continued.
For Claudette Commanda, the first Indigenous person to be appointed chancellor of the University of Ottawa, Trudeau's latest Supreme Court pick "speaks volumes."
"What Michelle will bring to the table—or to the bench—she's bringing her knowledge as a First Nations woman. She's bringing her knowledge as a lawyer, her knowledge as a judge, and it's going to help to give a more in-depth understanding of those issues," Commanda told CTV News. "This is what I see as reconciliation."
In offering his public congratulations, Lametti called O'Bonsawin's nomination "a historic moment" for the Supreme Court and for Canada.
The process to select the next Supreme Court justice was launched in April. An independent advisory board chaired by former PEI premier Wade MacLauchlan then considered candidates and sent Trudeau a shortlist of names to consider.
"Her nomination 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 country’s highest court," Trudeau said in a statement.
O’Bonsawin's nomination is to fill the vacancy created by the upcoming Sept. 1 retirement of Supreme Court Justice Michael Moldaver.
With files from CTV National News' Judy Trinh
IN DEPTH
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Trudeau, key election players to testify at foreign interference hearings. What you need to know
The public hearings portion of the federal inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections and democratic institutions are picking back up this week. Here's what you need to know.
Who is supporting, opposing new online harms bill?
Now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's sweeping online harms legislation is before Parliament, allowing key stakeholders, major platforms, and Canadians with direct personal experience with abuse to dig in and see what's being proposed, reaction is streaming in. CTVNews.ca has rounded up reaction, and here's how Bill C-63 is going over.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
TREND LINE What Nanos' tracking tells us about Canadians' mood, party preference heading into 2024
Heading into a new year, Canadians aren't feeling overly optimistic about the direction the country is heading, with the number of voters indicating negative views about the federal government's performance at the highest in a decade, national tracking from Nanos Research shows.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
opinion Don Martin: Pierre Poilievre's road to apparent victory will soon start to get rougher
Pierre Poilievre and his Conservatives appear to be on cruise control to a rendezvous with the leader's prime ministerial ambition, but in his latest column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin questions whether the Conservative leader may be peaking too soon.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Outdated cancer screening guidelines jeopardizing early detection, doctors say
A group of doctors say Canadian cancer screening guidelines set by a national task force are out-of-date and putting people at risk because their cancers aren't detected early enough.
Lululemon unveils first summer kit for Canada's Olympic and Paralympic teams
Lululemon says it is combining function and fashion in its first-ever summer kit for Canada's Olympians and Paralympians.
'I just started crying': Blue Jays player signs jersey for man in hospital
An Ontario woman says she never expected to be gifted a Blue Jays jersey for her ailing husband when she sat alone at the team’s home opener next to a couple of kind strangers.
Mussolini's wartime bunker opens to the public in Rome
After its last closure in 2021, it has now reopened for guided tours of the air raid shelter and the bunker. The complex now includes a multimedia exhibition about Rome during World War II, air raid systems for civilians, and the series of 51 Allied bombings that pummeled the city between July 1943 and May 1944.
LIVE @ 4 EDT Freeland to present 2024 federal budget, promising billions in new spending
Canadians will learn Tuesday the entirety of the federal Liberal government's new spending plans, and how they intend to pay for them, when Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tables the 2024 federal budget.
B.C. woman facing steep medical bills, uncertain future after Thailand crash
The family of a Victoria, B.C., woman who was seriously injured in an accident in Thailand is pleading for help as medical bills pile up.
Step inside 'The Brain': Northern education tool aims to promote drug safety
An immersive experience inside a massive dome coined 'The Brain' is helping youth learn about brain function and addiction
WATCH Half of Canadians living paycheque-to-paycheque: Equifax
As Canadians deal with a crushing housing shortage, high rental prices and inflationary price pressures, now Equifax Canada is warning that Canadian consumers are increasingly under stress"from the surging cost of living.
Ontario woman charged almost $7,000 for 20-minute taxi ride abroad
An Ontario woman was shocked to find she’d been charged nearly $7,000 after unknowingly using an unauthorized taxi company while on vacation in January.
Local Spotlight
Ottawa barber shop steps away from Parliament Hill marks 100 years in business
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
'It was a special game': Edmonton pinball player celebrates high score and shout out from game designer
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
'How much time do we have?': 'Contamination' in Prairie groundwater identified
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
'Why not do it together?': Lifelong friends take part in 'brosectomy' in Vancouver
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
Grain-gobbling bears spark 'no stopping' zone in Banff National Park
A popular highway in Alberta's Banff National Park now has a 'no stopping zone' to help protect two bears.
Deer family appears to accept B.C. man as one of their own
B.C. resident Robert Conrad spent thousands of hours on Crown land developing an unusual bond with deer.
Doorbell video shows family of black bears scared off by dog in Sudbury, Ont.
A Sudbury woman said her husband was bringing the recycling out to the curb Wednesday night when he had to make a 'mad dash' inside after seeing a bear.
Quebec teacher fired after taking leave to be on 'Survivor' reality TV series
A school teacher who took part in the Quebec version of the Survivor reality TV show took time off work to be a contestant is now out of a job.
Young P.E.I. actor fulfills childhood dream to play Anne Shirley
A young actor from Prince Edward Island is getting the chance to fulfill a childhood dream, playing the precocious and iconic Anne Shirley on stage.