TRUDEAU NAMES ALBERTA JUDGE TO SUPREME COURT
Sheilah Martin a bilingual judge with ‘dazzling legal mind,’
OTTAWA— Sheilah Martin, a Montreal-born, Alberta based judge, is by her own description, a force to be reckoned with.
Named Wednesday to take up a seat on the Supreme Court of Canada, she gave lengthy and detailed answers to a questionnaire all candidates were required to write.
Through stories about her legal training, expertise and willingness to dissent or persevere in the face of threats or argumentative defence lawyers, she painted the portrait of a woman whose intellectual heft is clear, and whose spine is strong.
Martin, 60, holds a doctorate in law from University of Toronto. She worked and paid her way through undergraduate law degrees at McGill University, writing two books on Quebec law in the summertime.
Not realizing one was published, she was surprised to see it in the window of a Montreal bookstore. “That moment taught me that it was indeed possible to actually think and write something into existence and that by putting ideas out into the universe, one person’s work can make a difference.”
Martin, who was married to highprofile criminal lawyer Hersh Wolch until his death in July, brings to the court an unusual mix of legal and judicial expertise. She practiced corporate and commercial law, is a longtime teacher of judicial ethics, and has drafted principles for the compensation of the wrongfully convicted. She has also delved deeply into equality law and the law on sexual assault, and trained judges on how to eliminate rape myths and stereotypes from their courts.
Martin was part of the legal team asked by the Assembly of First Nations to craft the Indian Residential Schools settlement. It eventually led to a Canadian government apology, redress for former students, and the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission — “among the most meaningful and challenging work of my career.”
Trudeau hailed her 33-year legal career and its strong focus on education, equality rights and “increasing the number of under-represented groups in law schools and the legal profession, including Indigenous Peoples.”
“She . . . is an extraordinary jurist and has experience right across the country, including in the North, but she’s going to be a great voice in the Supreme Court,” he told reporters.
Appointed a judge in 2005 at the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench in Calgary, she was elevated last year by the Trudeau government to become a judge of the Courts of Appeal of Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.
She also served as a deputy judge for the Supreme Court of Yukon since 2009.
Born and raised in Montreal, Martin is bilingual, holds bachelor degrees in civil and common law from McGill University, a masters in law from University of Alberta, and a doctorate from University of Toronto.
“I am confident that, with the wealth of experience she has gained over a distinguished 30-year career, she will be a valuable addition to the Supreme Court, an institution well respected in Canada and around the world for its strength, independence, and judicial excellence,” said Trudeau, in announcing her appointment.
A background document the government posted says Martin’s practice “was wide-ranging and addressed issues of deep significance to Canadian society.”