Alta. jurist and educator named to Supreme Court
OTTAWA — While strolling in Montreal years ago, Sheilah Martin was surprised to see a book she had written about principles of Quebec law in the storefront window of a popular shop.
Martin, who penned the tome as a law student, wasn’t even aware it had been published.
She said that the moment taught her it was possible to think and write something into existence, put ideas out into the universe and do work that can make a difference.
Martin will have a highly visible and influential forum to do all of those things as the newest justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.
In announcing Martin’s nomination to the top court Wednesday, the office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lauded her strong focus on education, equality rights and increasing the number of under-represented groups in law schools and the legal profession.
Trudeau called her “an extraordinary jurist” with a wealth of experience who would be “a great voice on the Supreme Court.”
Born and raised in Montreal, Martin was trained in both civil and common law before moving to Alberta to pursue work as an educator, lawyer and judge.
She served on the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta in Calgary until June 2016, when she was appointed as a judge of the Courts of Appeal of Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Martin worked as a researcher and law professor before being called to the Alberta bar in 1989. From 1991 to 1996, she was acting dean and then dean of the University of Calgary’s faculty of law. She taught courses about subjects ranging from commercial transactions to feminist legal theory.
From 1996 to 2005, Martin practised criminal and constitutional litigation in Calgary. She was appointed to the Court of Queen’s Bench in 2005.
Martin was married to lawyer Hersh Wolch, known for his tireless advocacy on behalf of wrongfully convicted Canadians, including David Milgaard. Wolch died of a heart attack in July at the age of 77.
Martin’s nomination to the Supreme Court ensures the ninemember bench will remain at full strength after Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin retires on Dec. 15.
A new chief justice will be named in mid-December, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said Wednesday.
Next Monday, the House of Commons justice committee will hold a hearing during which Wilson-Raybould and former prime minister Kim Campbell, chair of an independent advisory board for Supreme Court appointments, plan to explain the selection process and the reasons Martin was nominated.