She decided to put the comment on the record and told her sons about it when she got home. While she was sitting as a judge, she overheard a lawyer telling a younger associate that she was the “Pocahontas of the North.”
It was 2018, the day after President Donald Trump had called United States Senator Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas” for claiming she had Indigenous American heritage. She shared an anecdote about how her own Indigenous identity was brought up in the courtroom. While O’Bonsawin was unable to discuss matters that could come before the court, she spoke about her experiences in labour and mental health law and her research into the application of Gladue principles, which require judges to consider the backgrounds of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system. Representatives of all parties congratulated her on the appointment. Wednesday’s hearing was an opportunity for parliamentarians to get to know the incoming justice better, but unlike the process in the United States, a vote by elected officials is not required to cement her appointment, and political controversy is rare. She joked that she’s in it “for the long haul,” and “I definitely want to get along and play well with others.” And: “I have nothing against cats.”Īs a 48-year-old, she could potentially be on the court for a very long time, until the mandatory retirement age of 75. They have two sons, five dogs, eight chickens and a gecko. Her husband is an engineer and lawyer, she said.
She added “fun facts” about herself at the end of her opening remarks, including that she enjoys painting in her free time - a hobby she picked up with her dad when she was a teenager. “At that moment, I became that nine-year-old girl again.” When she filled in an application to become a Supreme Court justice, O’Bonsawin said, “I must have read my submission email about 10 times before I pressed that send button.” She was “overjoyed” when she got an interview. “Anything is possible if you set your mind to it and you surround yourself with great people.” She said she wanted to be a lawyer since she was a kid and hopes her story will prove inspiring to young people, especially young Indigenous women. In her opening remarks, she named mentors who helped her along the way, saying she has “stood on the shoulders of giants.” O’Bonsawin came across as down-to-earth, even self-deprecating, saying she felt like her journey was a “long shot” and her résumé is “oddball” compared to other Supreme Court appointees, but that she has worked hard to get to where she is today. Born in the small northern Ontario town of Hanmer, O’Bonsawin is a fluently bilingual Franco-Ontarian and an Abenaki member of the Odanak First Nation.
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