Supreme Court of Canada Appointment Process - 2026

On June 22, 2026, the Prime Minister of Canada announced that he has chosen the Honourable Glenn D. Joyal as his nominee to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court of Canada, which was created by the retirement of Madam Justice Sheilah L. Martin. (view Prime Minister's press release).

View the Honourable Glenn D. Joyal's Questionnaire.

As part of the process, Justice Joyal will participate in a question and answer session before members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, and a member of the Green Party of Canada.

Under the process used for the first time in 2016, an independent and non-partisan Advisory Board, was given the task of identifying suitable candidates who are jurists of the highest caliber, are functionally bilingual, and are representative of the diversity of Canada. The members of the Advisory Board were announced on May 19, 2026. (view Prime Minister's news release).

Justice Martin was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada from the Court of Appeal of Alberta. In recognition of the custom of regional representation, this process was open to candidates from Western Canada and Northern Canada.

More information regarding the process can be found in the following pages.