Justin Trudeau appoints first Indigenous Supreme Court justice, Michelle O’Bonsawin

A historic first and a new signal of reconciliation between Canada and its Indigenous peoples. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominated an Indigenous judge, Michelle O’Bonsawin, to sit on the country’s Supreme Court on Friday, August 19.

Judge of the High Court of Ontario since 2017, Michelle O’Bonsawin is an Abenaki member of the Odanak First Nation in Quebec. Among the areas of specialization she has acquired throughout her career are mental health and human rights. “As an Indigenous woman who grew up in Northern Ontario, I recognize the need for dedicated people to give a strong and representative voice to those who cannot speak for themselves.wrote the judge in his application questionnaire published by the government.

Her too “very bilingual” in French and English, determines the Prime Minister, who has undertaken to appoint someone who meets these criteria at a time when the practice of French in Canada is in decline, according to official data. Michelle O’Bonsawin You didn’t follownon-binding procedure before Parliament at the end of August before taking office. His appointment comes just under a year after Mahmud Jamal, the first non-white person to be appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada in October 2021.

Polly Ferguson

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