Perhaps I could say a bit about the process of how we did it.
Our terms of reference made a particular point of recognizing the diversity of Canadians, and that identified a number of characteristics where individuals are often under-represented or not represented in the judicial community. One of our candidates made a very interesting comment and said that diversity isn't so much reflected in decisions, but in what you bring to the conference. I think those of us who have worked for the advancement of women recognize this. It's not so much that a woman would decide this and a man would decide that, but that you bring a different reality and different questions perhaps to the broad discussion of issues.
I think this commitment to diversity played out, and as the minister has said, our terms of reference also included finding qualified candidates—that's plural—from Atlantic Canada. We assumed that meant at least two candidates from Atlantic Canada. There were a lot of Atlantic Canadian applicants, obviously, so that was not difficult, but there was a broad diversity in the candidates. I think the terms of reference sent a message to people who were thinking of applying that they should not be discouraged from applying if they are members of an unrepresented social category. The fact of of the matter is that, particularly in the legal profession, there is a lot of lack of diversity in many aspects of it.
The terms of reference were a clear message to the Canadian legal community, and that was reflected in the applications. Our goal was to find candidates of great competence. Many of them represented what you might call checking off the box, but it's a broader thing. The names that we provided to the Prime Minister provided some very interesting choices. Even in the case, for example, of Justice Rowe—who doesn't check off any of those boxes, except that no one from Newfoundland has ever been there—what was also important for us was the breadth of his understanding of the country. We asked candidates to tell us about their understanding of the diversity of Canadian society. It wasn't just are they from a category that they would check on the application, but what is their lived experience of the reality of Canadian society? That was a very interesting question to hear people answer, whether this had touched them in a way, and whether they had dealt with it. Justice Rowe's experience, particularly in the work he's done through Action Canada, has taken him to indigenous governments, Haida Gwaii, and the governments in the north, etc.
He spoke in great...well, you can ask him about it tomorrow, but that was important to us. When we were talking about what you bring to the conference, or when the members of the Supreme Court are sitting and talking about an issue, are there things that are not being said because nobody knows about them? I think of when Bertha Wilson came to the court, and about the decisions on property, for example, in common-law couples. These were really important things that came from a particular person's recognition that there was an issue. I think that is really important. I don't for a nanosecond say that it is the only thing, but I think what was communicated was the welcome to candidates of many different backgrounds to apply.
We're committed to confidentiality of the candidates, so we can't give you all of the list, but there was a really wonderful richness. I think that is the most important thing. Only one person can be appointed, but that person has to reflect that respect, appreciation, and knowledge of the diversity of Canadian society. The candidates were a very interesting group, and as I say, remarkably proficient in French, much to my delight.