Our Interviewees
Our Interviewees
Throughout this course, you’ll hear from the people whose voices bring the Supreme Court to life: judges past and present, lawyers at the heart of key cases, experts, and citizens who have experienced the Court first-hand.
Get to know them below. Each card offers a glimpse into the voices shaping this journey.
Instructions
To learn more about the subject matter experts, click on (+) to expand a section and on (-) to close a section.
Past or present judges of the Supreme Court.
Richard Wagner
Supreme Court Chief Justice
The Right Honourable Justice Richard Wagner was born in Montreal in 1957. After studying law at the University of Ottawa, he practised as a lawyer in Montreal and Quebec City, specializing in professional liability, commercial litigation, and class-action lawsuits. He was appointed to the Quebec Superior Court in 2004, to the Quebec Court of Appeal in 2011, and to the Supreme Court of Canada in 2012. In December 2017, he became the 18th Chief Justice of Canada.
Mahmud Jamal
Supreme Court Justice
The Honourable Mahmud Jamal was born in Kenya in 1967, and spent his childhood in England and Edmonton, Alberta. Prior to becoming a judge, he was a litigator in the private sector. He also served as a law clerk to Justice Gonthier of the Supreme Court. He joined the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2019. In 2021, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, becoming its first visible minority judge.
Mary T. Moreau
Supreme Court Justice
Born in Edmonton, Alberta, the Honourable Mary T. Moreau was appointed to the Supreme Court on November 6, 2023. Her career as a judge began when she was nominated to the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta in 1994. She was appointed Chief Justice of that court in 2017. Before her nomination to the bench, she contributed to notable cases in criminal law, constitutional law, civil litigation, and minority language rights.
Beverley McLachlin
Former Supreme Court Chief Justice
The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin was born in Pincher Creek, Alberta, and practised law both in her home province and in British Columbia. She was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 1981 and became its Chief Justice in 1988. In 1989, she was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. She was the first woman to become Chief Justice, and held this role the longest to date, serving from 2000 to 2017. She has also written several legal novels.
It is the greatest honour for lawyers to argue a case at the Supreme Court.
Marie Henein
Senior Partner, Henein Hutchison LLP
Marie Henein is one of Canada’s most prominent criminal lawyers, known for defending people in many high-profile cases. She has argued several cases in front of the Supreme Court. She is a senior partner at Henein Hutchison LLP, a law firm based in Toronto.
Guy Pratte
Senior Counsel, Borden Ladner Gervais
One of Canada’s most renowned appellate lawyers, Guy Pratte has appeared before the Supreme Court approximately 25 times and acted as lead counsel in some of the most important cases in Canada. His practice is focused on commercial litigation, administrative law and constitutional law.
Professors who study the Supreme Court and legal systems.
Charles-Maxime Panaccio
Full Professor, Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa (Civil Law Section)
Charles-Maxime Panaccio is interested in constitutional law, the protection of fundamental rights, the philosophy of law, the law of evidence, and the history of the Supreme Court. He was a law clerk to Justice Charles D. Gonthier of the Supreme Court of Canada. He is a graduate of McGill University (B.C.L., L.L.B. 1999), Oxford University (B.C.L. 2003), and the University of Toronto (S.J.D. 2008).
Vanessa MacDonnell
Associate Professor, Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa (Common Law Section)
Vanessa MacDonnell is an expert in constitutional law, constitutional theory, and comparative constitutional law. Her research especially focuses on the relationship between the judicial and executive branches. Professor MacDonnell teaches a seminar on the Supreme Court of Canada. She studied at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law (J.D.) and Harvard Law School (LL.M.), and was a clerk for Justice Louise Charron at the Supreme Court of Canada.
Emmett Macfarlane
Professor, Department of Political Science at the University of Waterloo
Emmett Macfarlane’s research explores the interactions between the Constitution, the courts, governance, and public policy, with a particular focus on the role of the Supreme Court of Canada. Professor MacFarlane frequently appears in the Canadian media and is the author and editor of seven books, including Governing from the Bench: The Supreme Court of Canada and the Judicial Role (UBC Press, 2013).
Karine Millaire
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law at the Université de Montréal
Karine Millaire is an expert in Indigenous law, constitutional law, and human rights and freedoms. Before joining the Université de Montréal, Karine Millaire worked as a lawyer for the Attorney General of Quebec and for the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission. She is a member of the Wendat Nation and holds a doctorate in constitutional law from the University of Ottawa.
Other actors who worked at or with the Supreme Court.
David Lametti
Former Minister of Justice
David Lametti is a former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, serving from 2019 to 2023 under Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government. He was a Member of Parliament for Lasalle—Émard—Verdun, an electoral district in Montreal, from 2015 to 2024. Before entering politics, David Lametti was a Professor at the McGill Faculty of Law for more than 25 years. He served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Peter deCarteret Cory in 1989-90.
Stéphanie Bachand
Executive Legal Officer and Chief of Staff of the Chief Justice
As Executive Legal Officer and Chief of Staff, Stéphanie Bachand acts as the main link between the Court and the legal community and between the media and the public, in addition to assisting the Chief Justice with the day-to-day management of the Court. Stéphanie Bachand previously served as chief of staff and senior policy advisor to top executives in the federal public service, also working as a diplomat, lawyer in private practice, and law clerk for judges of an international court. Since filming her interview for the Supreme Court Experience project, Stéphanie Bachand has left the Supreme Court and become Director and General Counsel at the Canadian Judicial Council.
Michel Beauchamp
Notary Emeritus, Beauchamp Gilbert, notaires
Michel Beauchamp is a notary specializing in estate liquidation, tutorships and curatorships, and non-contentious proceedings. A graduate of the Civil Law Section at the University of Ottawa, he is the author of several legal publications, a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the Université de Montréal, and regularly contributes to the continuing education of lawyers and notaries.