Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has nominated the first person of color to the Supreme Court in Canada on Thursday. In Canada nearly one in four people identify as a minority, however, the country only had white justices in its 146 years of existence.
Indian-origin Mahmud Jamal has been nominated as the first non-white person for the topmost court in Canada. Jamal has been a judge in Ontario’s court of appeal since 2019. He is trained as a lawyer and appeared before the Supreme Court in 35 appeals addressing a range of civil, constitutional, criminal and regulatory issues.
“He will be a valuable asset to the Supreme Court and that is why today, I am announcing his historic nomination to our country’s highest court,” said Prime Minister Trudeau.
PM Trudeau has frequently stated that there is a need to address systemic racism in the country. Last year, in solidarity with US protestors marching against racism, Trudeau had said that many white Canadians had awakened ‘to fact that discrimination needs to end. Systemic racism is an issue right across the country in all of our institutions.”
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Mahmud Jamal’s parents originally hail from Gujarat, India. He was born in 1967 in Nairobi and emigrated with his family to Britain in 1969. There he experienced racism as he was harassed because of his name, religion and color of skin.
Canada has been a multicultural nation with almost one-quarter of its population of 38 million, identified as a minority. However, the recent attacks on Muslims and police brutality against black people or other ethnic minorities have highlighted the ongoing legacy of racism in Canada.
Jamal will replace Justice Rosalie Abella, who is the longest-serving justice in the nine-person court. She is due to retire on July 1.