Supreme Court of Canada nominee Glenn Joyal delivers his opening remarks at the start of a question-and-answer session with members of Parliament in Ottawa on Monday, June 29, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

By The Canadian Press

Nominee Glenn Joyal tells MPs he wants to uphold public confidence in Supreme Court

Jun 29, 2026 | 10:38 AM

OTTAWA — Supreme Court of Canada nominee Glenn Joyal said Monday he wants to uphold public confidence in the country’s top court.

Joyal, nominated to the Supreme Court by Prime Minister Mark Carney last week, took questions from MPs and senators during a special meeting in the House of Commons.

Joyal, who has been chief justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba since 2011, said fostering public trust in the judiciary involves demonstrating that judges understand the lived experience of people coming before the courts.

Speaking in French, Joyal said he’s worked with people experiencing very difficult personal circumstances during his 28 years on the bench in Manitoba. He said that experience sharpened his judicial skills and gave him a firsthand understanding of the challenges facing individuals who come before a judge.

Joyal said his time in Winnipeg helped him understand the judiciary’s relationship with Indigenous people and called the experience “extremely humbling.”

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“We thought of ourselves as representing ground zero. Ground zero in an effort to more directly address the unique obligations and opportunities that surround the judiciary’s relationship with Indigenous peoples,” Joyal said.

“For me, this gave rise to greater engagement with Indigenous communities and indeed with Indigenous leaders in an effort to build a new and lasting trust.”

Joyal said that while he’s seen some improvement, there are years of work still ahead on building trust between the judiciary and Indigenous communities.

Justice Minister Sean Fraser, Federal Judicial Affairs Commissioner Marc Giroux and Maureen McTeer, chair of the independent advisory board tasked with reviewing Supreme Court nominations, also appeared before the committee Monday.

McTeer said that what sets Joyal apart is his “thoughtful, articulate and forward-looking perspective on the role of the Supreme Court of Canada” and his commitment to public service.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2026.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Nominee Glenn Joyal tells MPs he wants to uphold public confidence in Supreme Court

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