Trudeau names Justice Mary Moreau to Supreme Court
The nomination marks the first time a majority of women would sit on the court.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tapped Justice Mary T. Moreau of Alberta for the Supreme Court of Canada. Her nomination would fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Russell Brown in June, and swing the gender balance on the Supreme Court for the first time in favour of women.
"For the first time in its 148-year history, and 41 years after the Honorable Bertha Wilson became the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, a majority of women will be sitting on the bench of the highest court in our judicial system," noted Canadian Bar Association President John Stefaniuk, in a statement. "Justice Moreau’s nomination represents an important step forward for gender equality. The CBA considers that Justice Moreau will be a great asset to the Supreme Court of Canada, and we look forward to working with her."
Justice Moreau, a franco-Albertan, served as the Chief Justice of the Alberta Court of King's Bench.
Born in Edmonton, Justice Moreau's career in law began after completing her Bachelor of Laws at the University of Alberta in 1979. She also completed the common law/civil law exchange program at the Université de Sherbrooke in 1977.
Chief Justice Moreau was called to the Alberta Bar in 1980 and had a law practice primarily focused on criminal law, constitutional law, and civil litigation. She litigated matters involving minority language rights and the Charter rights. She also co-founded the Association des juristes d'expression française de l'Alberta, an organization dedicated to promoting French language rights in the province.
In 1994, Justice Moreau career took a new turn when she was appointed to the Court of King's Bench of Alberta, then two years later as a deputy judge of the Supreme Court of Yukon, and of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories in 2005. In 2017, she was appointed Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench of Alberta.
She was president of the Canadian Superior Courts Judges Association from 2011 to 2012. She is also a member of the Action Committee on Modernizing Court Operations, co-chaired by the Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of Canada
