The Hon. Louise Charron, LLB ’75, appointed to the Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments

By Common Law

Communication, Faculty of Law

Faculty of Law - Common Law Section
Appointments
Hon. Louise Charron
On February 19, 2021, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, launched the process to select the next justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, who will fill the vacancy created by the upcoming retirement of Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella.

The Honourable Louise Charron, LLB ’75, was appointed to the Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments. Former Prime Minister Kim Campbell will chair the seven-member non-partisan advisory board.

“To appoint the next justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, we are launching an open and independent process that will identify the most exceptional Canadian lawyers and judges, while recognizing regional representation and the diversity of our country. On behalf of all Canadians, I also thank Justice Abella, the court’s longest-serving member, for her leadership, excellence, and dedication on our highest court over the past 17 years.”

                                                             The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

To draft the criteria and questionnaire to be used for this process, the Government engaged the services of three of Common Law’s legal academic experts. These draft documents were produced by three members of the University of Ottawa's Public Law Group: Dean Adam Dodek, Professor Carissima Mathen and Professor Charles-Maxime Panaccio – all of whom specialize in the areas of public and constitutional law.

The Honourable Rosalie Silberman Abella will be retiring from the Supreme Court of Canada on July 1, 2021. To mark the retirement, the uOttawa Public Law Centre, the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice, the Human Rights Research and Education Centre, and The Advocates’ Society will hold a two-day conference examining her influence on law and society in Spring 2022.

Justice Charron served on the Supreme Court from 2004 to 2011,the first native-born Franco-Ontarian Supreme Court judge. She was a lecturer in the French common law section from 1978 to 1985, when she joined the Faculty as Assistant Professor, a position she held until 1988.

Congratulations to Justice Charron on her appointment.