Justin Trudeau appointed Michael O’Ponsa as the first Indigenous Supreme Court Justice

A historic first, and a new gesture towards reconciliation between Canada and its indigenous peoples. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Michelle O’Bonsawin, an Aboriginal judge, to the country’s Supreme Court on Friday, August 19.

A judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice since 2017, Michelle O’Ponza is a member of the Abenaki First Nation of Odanak in Quebec. His areas of expertise throughout his career are mental health and human rights. “As an Indigenous woman growing up in Northern Ontario, I realized the need for people dedicated to providing a strong and representative voice to those who could not speak for themselves”The judge wrote in his application question paper made public by the government.

She too “Perfect Bilingualism” In French and English, according to official data, the prime minister is referring to trying to appoint someone who meets this criteria at a time when the use of the French language in Canada is declining. Michelle O’Ponza’s still needs to follow youA non-binding procedure in Parliament by the end of August before the inauguration. His appointment comes a year after Mahmoud Jamal, the first non-white person appointed to the Canadian Supreme Court in October 2021.