Justice Beverley McLachlin
Chief justice, Supreme Court of Canada, Ottawa, Ont. A common member of the Top 25 list and also the very best vote-getter in years past, McLachlin continues to make waves, handing down two very important conclusions on aboriginal law. The 2014 Tsilhqot'in Nation v. British Columbia decision led by McLachlin is the earliest of its kind in the history of British Columbia. This past year the Supreme Court of Canada granted announcement of aboriginal title to over 1,700 square kilometres of land. She is also responsible for upholding the decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal at Keewatin v. Ontario (Natural Resources) released in July 2014, she has overhauled what the Lamer court started and has left her mark in this region for decades ahead.
The chief justice is still a highly effective proponent of greater justice for all Canadians. As her incredible number of votes once again this year show, McLachlin is greatly admired not only for her rulings but her public aid in favour of free speech, diversity, and inclusive leadership. What voters had to say: An excellent judge that, time and time again, marries the law with common sense. Justifiably most respected legal mind in the nation; remarkable integrity; reliable public servant; obviously guided by law enforcement and also a strong ideology.
Justice Murray Sinclair
Chairman, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Winnipeg, Man. A rare write-in candidate winner for this year's Top 25, Sinclair was among the list last year, making headlines in June with the launch of this overview of the record of the TRC and 94 recommendations to remedy the cultural genocide of Canada's residential school program. Over six decades, Sinclair led the TRC hearing the stories of over 7,000 survivors of sexual, physical, and psychological abuse. Sinclair, that was the first aboriginal judge in Manitoba, was initially appointed to the provincial court in which he became associate leader in 1988 and then raised to the Court of Queen's Bench at 2001. He was co-commissioner of Manitoba's Aboriginal Justice Inquiry in 1988 and presided over a 2000 inquest into the deaths of 12 infants at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre. Sinclair expects to complete the commission's full report in the not too distant future, after which he will decide whether to go back to retire or court and advocate for indigenous rights fulltime.
Jean-Pierre Blais
Chairman, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, Ottawa-Gatineau Blais is not afraid of criticism and is prepared to go above and beyond in the name of consumer rights. A new CRTC decision will give users more freedom to choose TV channels of their liking as part of their cable and satellite subscriptions despite bitter opposition from Canada's cable businesses. Blais called out former Bell Media president Kevin Crull, without naming names, over reports Crull told CTV news personnel to not interview him after that decision. Crull ended up apologizing for interfering in the information gathering process and later stepped down. From telemarketers to telcos, Blais always intends to encourage the rights and demands of customers. What voters had to say: Achieving big change with consumer-minded focus. About time!
Sheila Block
Partner, Torys LLP, Toronto, Ont. Among the sharpest litigators in the country, Block has served as lead counsel on a newly dismissed $5-billion class action lawsuit against CIBC and a $100-million lawsuit brought by approximately 8,000 residents of Barbados against Manulife. She was also staunch counsel for former Manitoba associate chief justice Lori Douglas in the inquiry of the judge's character in a scandal involving her deceased husband, one of his former customers, and salacious photographs of herself posted on the internet. Block also received an honorary LLD from the Law Society of Upper Canada this past year. An urge dedicated to teaching law in Canada and around the world, she has coached advocates for the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal in Rwanda and the Special Court on Sierra Leone. What Republicans needed to say: Elle demontre son interet a la fois pour l'education du publique et des affaires. (She's demonstrated her interest for the education of the general public and company.)
Pascale Fournier
Professor & research chair, legal pluralism and comparative legislation, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, Ottawa, Ont. Fournier has attained international recognition for her groundbreaking work on sex, faith, and the law, together with fieldwork interviews with women from various countries to emphasize the complex interplay between spiritual and secular law. She has received numerous national and international awards and nominations in 2014. Fournier became a fellow of the prestigious International Women's Forum because of her role as a leader in the legal profession; getting the Canada-Arab Chamber of Commerce Award for academic excellence and contribution to humankind. Fournier represented the University of Ottawa as an effective pioneer at the Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference and was unanimously appointed by the National Assembly of Quebec into the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission. What voters had to say: Superb mind, according [to] Harvard's Prof. Kennedy.
Poonam Puri
Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, Toronto, Ont. Though Puri might not be involved from the largest transactions of the year or many publicized litigation, her work indelibly shapes the arguments and strategies of several attorneys. Her influence is represented by the eagerness of the Canadian legal community to listen and react to her perspectives and observations on the current condition of the law and recommendations regarding what can be done in order to develop a more fair, just, and responsive legal system. She has directed research programs including important company securities regulation initiatives in Canada (National Securities Regulator document ) and has been appointed by the Ontario Minister of Finance Charles Sousa, since the expert adviser for the Credit Unions' legislative framework review. She's a popular and respected professor and highly recognized by professionals in the corporate-commercial pub. What voters had to say: Outstanding gift. Unassuming trendsetter. Wise beyond her years. Will be an influence for several years to come on the corporate phase in Canada. Outstanding research and technical skills.
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