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Michelle O'Bonsawin
Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
Assumed office
September 1, 2022
Nominated by Justin Trudeau
Appointed by Mary Simon
Preceded by Michael Moldaver
Justice of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice
In office
May 18, 2017 – September 1, 2022
Nominated by Justin Trudeau
Appointed by Julie Payette
Personal details
Born (1974-05-02) May 2, 1974 (age 51)
Hanmer, Ontario
Children 2
Alma mater Laurentian University (BA)
University of Ottawa (LLB, PhD)
Osgoode Hall (LLM)
Occupation Lawyer

Michelle O'Bonsawin is a very important judge in Canada. She was born on May 2, 1974. Since 2022, she has been a judge on the Supreme Court of Canada, which is the highest court in the country. Before that, she was a judge on the Ontario Superior Court of Justice from 2017 to 2022. Michelle O'Bonsawin made history because she is the first Indigenous person to become a Supreme Court Justice in Canada.

Early Life

Michelle O'Bonsawin was born in a place called Hanmer, Ontario on May 2, 1974. This community is near Sudbury and many people there speak French. Her father worked with machines, and her mother was a teacher. Michelle is part of the Abenaki people from the Odanak First Nation. She is also a Franco-Ontarian, meaning she is French-speaking from Ontario.

Her Legal Journey

Michelle O'Bonsawin started her career working for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) legal team. After that, she worked for Canada Post for nine years, helping them with legal matters.

In 2009, she joined the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group. This is a place that helps people with mental health. There, she set up their legal department. She also helped the organization in court cases about mental health.

While working, she kept studying and earned a special law degree called a master's degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. She focused on areas like mental health, workplace rules, human rights, and privacy. She also taught a class at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law about Indigenous peoples and the law.

Becoming a Judge

In 2017, Michelle O'Bonsawin became the first Indigenous Canadian to be appointed as a judge to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa. She started this job on May 18, 2017. She described her way of thinking about law as "progressive," meaning she looks for ways to improve things.

While working as a judge, she continued her studies and earned a doctorate degree in law from the University of Ottawa. Her special research was about something called "Gladue principles," which are important for Indigenous people in the justice system.

One important case she handled as a judge was called CM Callow Inc v Zollinger. This case was about whether people in a contract must act fairly. Her decision in this case was later reviewed by a higher court, but then the Supreme Court of Canada agreed with her original decision. This helped make the rules about fairness in contracts clearer.

In 2021, she helped lead a meeting for French-speaking judges in Ontario. She was also considered as a possible judge for the Supreme Court of Canada that year.

Supreme Court of Canada

On August 19, 2022, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, chose Michelle O'Bonsawin to become a judge on the Supreme Court of Canada. She was chosen to replace Justice Michael Moldaver, who was retiring.

A few days later, on August 24, she met with members of Parliament and Senators to answer their questions. On August 26, 2022, it was officially announced that she would join the Supreme Court on September 1, 2022. This was a very important moment because Michelle O'Bonsawin became the first Indigenous person to serve on Canada's highest court.

Personal Life

Michelle O'Bonsawin is Franco-Ontarian and can speak both French and English very well. In 2022, she was also learning the Abenaki language. She is married and has two sons.

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