Roundup: Justice Abella’s farewell to the Court

Posted on by

Yesterday was a bit of a sad day at the Supreme Court of Canada, as Justice Rosalie Ahella, the senior puisne justice on the court and the longest serving judge in Canada, heard her last case before her mandatory retirement date on July 1st. She will have another six months to finish writing up any judgments that she sat on before the retirement date.

As her final speech, she spoke of being born a refugee, her parents Holocaust survivors, and they moved to Canada, in order to give their children a better life. Abella went to law school, was the youngest judge appointed to the provincial bench at age 29, and went on to have a very influential career chairing commissions and a royal commission, before she was appointed to the Supreme Court – the first Jewish woman appointed, and the first refugee – where she has been for 17 years. And it was a lovely speech. (You can see the video here).

It’ll be interesting to see who the government chooses as her replacement. Because it’s an Ontario seat, there will be an increased focus on finding a more diverse candidate, given that we have yet to have a person of colour on the Supreme Court, and there is more likelihood to find one who can also meet the bilingualism requirement that this government has deemed so important.

Victoria Day

As a reminder, Victoria Day is the official birthday of the Queen of Canada, so be sure to raise a glass in her honour (gin and Dubonnet being Her Majesty’s favoured tipple).

https://twitter.com/Canadian_Crown/status/1395810388319539200

Good reads:

  • Manitoba premier Brian Pallister is asking the federal government for more healthcare workers as the pandemic continues to spike in that province.
  • The flight ban to India and Pakistan has been extended for another month.
  • The president of the Public Health Agency said he was informed of an “issue” about Major-General Dany Fortin about eight weeks ago, but wasn’t given specifics.
  • In the face of rising prices due to high demand, the US Commerce Department doubled tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber (which only punishes Americans).
  • The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that voluntary members of a church can’t to go the courts if they are expelled from their congregation, because it’s not a contract.
  • The Liberals on the defence committee once again talked out the clock to prevent another motion to call staffers to testify, and can we just stop? Cripes already.
  • Erin O’Toole has hired strategists who helped Boris Johnson win his majority in the UK, apparently hoping to replicate his success (forgetting he has no Jeremy Corbyn).
  • The conspiracy theorist whose work helped launch Alberta’s Committee on Un-Albertan Activities is now backing off from her claims. Imagine that.
  • My weekend column wonders whether Quebec’s attempt to unilaterally amend the constitution will lead to other attempts, particularly from Alberta.

Odds and ends:

Here is a radio interview with Emmett Macfarlane on the Quebec bill that purports to amend the federal constitution (it’s the first segment of the show).

Want more Routine Proceedings? Become a patron and get exclusive new content.