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Or sign-in if you have an account.Chief Justice Glenn Joyal of the Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba. Photo by Kevin King /Winnipeg SunOTTAWA — Manitoba Superior Court Chief Justice Glenn Joyal will be the newest member of the Supreme Court, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Monday morning.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorCarney made the much-awaited announcement of his first nominee to the Supreme Court (SCC) Monday morning. Joyal will fill the vacancy left behind by Sheilah Martin, who retired from the apex court on May 30.Joyal is a well-known and well-respected judge who has been the chief justice of the King’s Court of Manitoba since 2011. Before joining the trial court, he sat on the Manitoba Court of Appeal for two years.Last week, National Post reported that Joyal was the favourite of the two final candidates being considered by Carney for the SCC vacancy. The other top candidate was Anna Loparco of the King’s Court of Alberta.In his SCC application form released Monday, Joyal said criminal and constitutional law are his areas of expertise, though he regularly dealt with cases involving civil and administrative law cases.Joyal also wrote that his most significant contributions to law and the pursuit of justice were twofold: “impactful systemic and court reform enhancing access to justice” and increased institutional outreach.He noted that reforms he implemented helped make the court system “less complex, less expensive and more prompt.” He also noted that significant changes to family law court led to 70 per cent of such cases being resolved at an initial triage conference and only about 20 to 24 of 300 cases annually now go to trial.“We are living in a new more complex legal era where the judiciary plays an increasingly important but sometimes misunderstood public role,” Joyal wrote regarding his efforts to make the court more transparent and public.“While always balancing outreach with restraint, I believe I am perceived as a candid and constructive spokesperson for my court, its initiatives and the judiciary generally.”Joyal also noted the “vexing” and initially “disturbing” proposition that as the apex appellate court that hears issues of broad and public importance, the Supreme Court will sometimes render decisions that seem at odds with the public’s perception of justice being served.“In some other cases, it may nonetheless be the reality that an onlooker will sometimes be forced to grapple with the following counter-intuitive proposition: the Supreme Court properly acted as the guardian of law notwithstanding that on the particular facts of a given case, an injustice for a particular party has not been redressed, fully or otherwise,” Joyal wrote.“When that does occur, as it may, reasons that explain and educate beyond the discussion of the question of public importance will go a long way to not only fulfilling, but also to clarifying and legitimating the Supreme Court’s supervisory role.”Joyal’s nomination is Carney’s first to the country’s top court since he became prime minister last spring. Joyal is expected to attend a question-and-answer session in front of a parliamentary committee in the coming days, after which Carney is expected to make the appointment official.“Throughout his career, Chief Justice Joyal has demonstrated the integrity, experience, and sound judgment that service on our highest court demands. I am confident that he will serve Canadians with distinction,” Carney said in the statement.The prime minister’s statement did not detail when Joyal would start the new job after his appointment is finalized.“Chief Justice Joyal has spent more than a decade leading the Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba, where he has shown the experience, integrity, and sound judgment this role demands,” Justice Minister Sean Fraser said in a statement. “His work to improve access to justice, modernize court operations, and advance reconciliation reflects a deep commitment to the fair administration of justice.”Joyal’s name has long circulated as a potential Supreme Court pick for one of the court’s two seats traditionally reserved for a candidate from Western Canada.He is well known in and outside of judicial circles and is an outspoken chief justice on issues impacting his court, such as French-language services, judicial independence and Indigenous access to justice. Earlier this year, he argued that judges shouldn’t be afraid to speak up in defence of the judiciary.Last month, Joyal released a landmark decision finding that the federal and Manitoba governments had breached First Nations’ rights to self-governance on the issue of child welfare.This is not Joyal’s first application to join the apex court. After his application to the top court in 2017 was controversially leaked to media, Joyal confirmed in 2019 to The Canadian Press that he had applied but had withdrawn his application due to his wife’s health issues.Outside of his judicial work, Joyal wrote in his SCC application that he is an amateur playwright “who has had plays theatrically produced (and published)” and has a deep appreciation for the arts.“Although my work schedule in recent years has made playwriting difficult, I will note that my last staged play, ‘Les Lions et Leurs Ponts’ (2005), explored themes surrounding the meaning of identity, community, inclusion and survival,” Joyal wrote.National Postcnardi@postmedia.comOur website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here. 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