Manitoba’s Glenn Joyal nominated as new Supreme Court justice

Manitoba Chief Justice Glenn Joyal, shown in Winnipeg on Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Steve Lambert

OTTAWA — Supreme Court of Canada nominee Glenn Joyal describes himself as a “candid and constructive spokesperson” for Manitoba’s highest trial court and the judiciary.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has tapped Joyal, chief justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba since 2011, to fill the vacancy on the country’s top court left by the retiring Sheilah Martin.

Before becoming a judge, Joyal practised criminal law, constitutional law and civil litigation in Manitoba.

The Prime Minister’s Office praised his work on improving access to justice, modernizing court operations and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

In his Supreme Court candidacy submission, Joyal says his most significant contributions to the law are his efforts to make justice more accessible and to engage with the public on the role of the courts.

“We are living in a new more complex legal era where the judiciary plays an increasingly important but sometimes misunderstood public role,” Joyal wrote in his submission, which was made public Monday.

He said this engagement is taking place in a social and political climate of increasing polarization, misinformation and disinformation among growing populations of seemingly disenfranchised, marginalized and vulnerable groups.

Joyal, who grew up in a bicultural family in St. Boniface, Man., said he still sees himself as a “sitting judge” who leads by example.

“In so doing, I author many judgments each year,” he wrote. “I am proud of the rigour of my many years of written jurisprudence generally and of certain judgments in particular in which my analysis on specific legal questions or issues has contributed to the growth or clarification of the law.”

The selection process for a new Supreme Court member began in March. An independent advisory board reviewed applications and submitted a short list of qualified candidates to Carney for consideration.

Members of the House of Commons justice committee will take part in a special hearing to learn more about the selection process.

A question-and-answer session will then be held with Joyal and members of the House justice committee and the Senate committee on legal and constitutional affairs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2026.