If you've travelled in the northern communities, you know they have their own particular challenges and their own diversity. Again, it was part of our terms of reference because this search led to the north. One of our members, Sheila MacPherson, who represents the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, practises in Yellowknife and Iqaluit, and is very aware of what it means to have experience working in the courts there.
It's really wonderful because the Supreme Court is not a court where people go.... It's not a learning experience. Yes, you learn a lot, but you have to be able to hit the ground running, and the more experience, the more wisdom, the more understanding of the richness and diversity of Canadian lived experience that a judge takes to the court, the better prepared they are to really do justice in the cases they hear.