Supreme Court nominee Sheilah Martin says listening is key
OTTAWA — Being a good listener and ensuring people know that they have been heard are keys to earning public confidence as a judge, Supreme Court nominee Sheilah Martin said Tuesday during a question-and-answer session with parliamentarians.
Martin, named last week as the Trudeau government’s latest highcourt appointee, stressed the importance of thoughtfully considering all sides as an independent arbiter.
“I think judges need to show respect to get respect,” she said. “And it has been my personal goal to be respectful in court, and to listen patiently and to let things unfold.”
Tuesday’s session included members of the House of Commons justice committee and the Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee, as well as representatives of the Bloc Québécois and the Green party.
Martin was politely peppered with questions about the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, jurors, victims, the environment, terrorism and sexual assault. She carefully phrased her answers to avoid any appearance of bias.
Martin displayed her comfort in both of Canada’s official languages, revealed an abiding love of teaching and showed flashes of wit. Asked about the legacy she wanted to leave, Martin replied: “I would hope that people said that I listened carefully, and that I was a deep thinker and that I had really nice hair.”
Martin grew up in Montreal was trained in both civil and common law before moving to Alberta to pursue her career as an educator, lawyer and judge.
From 1991 to 1996, she was acting dean and then dean of the University of Calgary’s faculty of law. Martin went on to practise criminal and constitutional law, and became a judge in 2005.
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 is a mother to seven children — proof, she said, that she’s capable of multitasking and resolving disputes.