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The prime minister of Canada has nominated the first ever Indigenous person to the country\u2019s top court\u2014a move being lauded as a historic moment for Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n Justice Michelle O\u2019Bonsawin is bilingual\u2014fluent in English and French\u2014and is an Abenaki member of the Odanak First Nation. Since 2017, she has been a judge in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa, Canada\u2019s capital\u2014also the first Indigenous woman to sit on that court\u2019s bench.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m confident that she\u2019ll bring invaluable knowledge to our country\u2019s highest court, which is why I\u2019m announcing her nomination today,\u201d said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.<\/span><\/p>\n The process for Supreme Court of Canada judicial appointments involves an independent advisory board that identifies qualified candidates and submits a shortlist to the prime minister for consideration. On Aug. 24, O\u2019Bonsawin will participate in a question-and-answer session with a committee of federal parliamentarians. Unlike in the United States, these sessions are more informational and her appointment does not require the confirmation of lawmakers.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy heart is bursting with joy,\u201d said Bradley Regehr, who in 2020 became the first Indigenous lawyer to lead the Canadian Bar Association and heard the news of O\u2019Bonsawin\u2019s appointment while on vacation in a national park.<\/span><\/p>\n This appointment is \u201ca step in the direction of reconciliation,\u201d finally bringing the perspective of an Indigenous person to the Supreme Court \u201cthat has not been there before,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n Federal Justice Minister and Attorney General David Lametti called O\u2019Bonsawin\u2019s appointment a \u201chistoric moment for the [Supreme Court], and for all of Canada.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Trudeau had been under some pressure to appoint an Indigenous person to the country\u2019s top court.<\/span><\/p>\n In a statement, current Canadian Bar Association President Stephen Rotstein said: \u201cThe CBA is thrilled that our calls for the appointment of an Indigenous person to the Supreme Court of Canada have been answered.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n O\u2019Bonsawin replaces Justice Michael Moldaver, who was appointed to the nine-judge Supreme Court in 2011 and faces mandatory retirement this year at age 75. Last year,\u00a0<\/span>Justice Mahmud Jamal<\/span><\/a> became the first judge of color named to the court.<\/span><\/p>\n In her<\/span> application questionnaire<\/span><\/a>, O\u2019Bonsawin (which means \u201cpathfinder\u201d in the Abenaki language) talked about how her life experiences have helped shape her career.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>I believe my experience as a francophone First Nations woman, a parent, a lawyer, a scholar and a judge provide me with the lived understanding and insight into Canada\u2019s diversity because I, and my life experience, are part of that diversity,\u201d she wrote. \u201cMy experiences have taught me that while discrimination is an ongoing reality in Canada, my abilities allow me to contribute to our country and assist us to be a more inclusive society, not to mention one that is fair and just to all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n O\u2019Bonsawin is an accomplished jurist with expertise in the areas of mental health, Indigenous (<\/span>Glaude<\/span><\/i>) sentencing principles, labor and employment law, human rights, and privacy law. She completed her<\/span> Ph.D. in law<\/span><\/a> earlier this year at the University of Ottawa, according to her bio.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Prior to her appointment as a judge in 2017, she was general counsel for the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group for eight years. In this role, she says she developed a thorough understanding of legal issues related to mental health.<\/span><\/p>\n She began her legal career with the legal services department at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and was counsel with Canada Post, specializing in labor and employment law, human rights, and privacy law.<\/span><\/p>\n On social media, the lawyer-verse was effusive about her appointment.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cJustice O\u2019Bonsawin\u2019s expertise with mental health law will serve Canada\u2019s national legal system well,\u201d said Eugene Meehan, a partner at Supreme Advocacy, which specializes in Supreme Court appellate work.<\/span><\/p>\n Her appointment will go a \u201clong way to inspiring\u201d future generations of Canadians and is an important step in ensuring the courts better reflect the country\u2019s population, he told Law.com International.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s obviously going to be a role model to young Indigenous people and people who decide to go into the legal profession,\u201d said Regehr. \u201cI think it\u2019s really important to show people that yes, you can attain these positions, that it is possible now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Justice Michelle O\u2019Bonsawin is a widely respected member of Canada\u2019s legal community with a distinguished career. I\u2019m confident that she\u2019ll bring invaluable knowledge to our country\u2019s highest court, which is why I\u2019m announcing her nomination today: https:\/\/t.co\/0WafLrHLHv<\/a><\/p>\n\n