A uOttawa Faculty of Law tradition continued in March with a welcoming ceremony for the newest justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.
Mr. Justice Mahmud Jamal was feted in one of the first in-person events at the Faculty since the COVID pandemic.
Approximately 300 students, faculty and invited guests welcomed Jamal, who was appointed to the top court last summer.
The Faculty has organized similar ceremonies for every justice appointed since 2004, highlighting the close relationship between the Civil and Common Law Sections and the Supreme Court.
Jamal was born in Kenya to a family of South Asian origin, making him the first person from a visible minority group to serve as a justice of the Supreme Court.
Jamal was welcomed by new Susan & Perry Dellelce Dean, Kristen Boon, who said the judge was "inspiring for so many reasons."
"Your commitment to the different legal traditions in Canada, to bilingualism and to service has been so moving for people who haven't previously seen themselves on the bench.
"These are values that animate our legal program here at the University of Ottawa."
After his remarks, Jamal was presented with gifts by representatives of the Indigenous Law Student Governance (Rachel Agnew and Brooke Wakegijig), the Common Law Student Society (Michelle Liu) and L'Association des étudiantes et étudiants en droit civil de l'Outaouais (Sonia Agougou).
All nine current justices attended the event.