O’Bonsawin, Michelle (1974-…) became a puisne << PYOO nee >> (associate) judge of the Supreme Court of Canada in 2022. She was the first Indigenous (native) person to be appointed to that court. Prior to her appointment, O’Bonsawin served on the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Her areas of legal expertise include Gladue principles; Indigenous issues; and human rights, labor and employment, mental health, and privacy law. Gladue principles are sentencing principles that guide judges to consider the unique backgrounds or circumstances of Indigenous defendants.
O’Bonsawin was born on May 2, 1974, in Hanmer, Ontario, where she grew up in a working-class family. She is a Franco-Ontarian (French-speaking Ontarian), as well as an Abenaki member of the Odanak First Nation. O’Bonsawin received a B.A. degree from Laurentian University in 1995. She later received an LL.B. degree from the University of Ottawa in 1998, an LL.M. degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2014, and a Ph.D. degree in law from the University of Ottawa in 2021. In addition to being fluent in French and English, she has studied the Abenaki language.
O’Bonsawin began her legal career as a researcher in the legal services department of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, from 1997 to 2000. During those years, she also worked as a file reviewer and caseworker for Aboriginal Legal Services at the University of Ottawa Legal Aid Clinic. From 2000 to 2008, O’Bonsawin worked as a lawyer for Canada Post. She then worked as general counsel (the chief in-house lawyer) for the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group from 2009 to 2017.
In 2017, O’Bonsawin was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, where she served as a judge until 2022. She was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on Sept. 1, 2022, after being nominated by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
