CANADA | Jamaican born Judge appointed Chief Justice of Ontario.

Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, on Monday announced the appointment of Jamaican born, The Honourable Michael H. Tulloch, a judge of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, as the new Chief Justice of Ontario and President of the Court of Appeal for Ontario.

Chief Justice Tulloch replaces the Honourable George R. Strathy, who retired effective August 31, 2022.

Chief Justices and Associate Chief Justices in Canada are responsible for the leadership and administration of their courts. They also serve as members of the Canadian Judicial Council, which works to improve the quality of judicial services in the superior courts of Canada.

Born in Manchester, Jamaica, Tulloch emigrated to Toronto as a nine-year-old and faced his very first challenge. “In Jamaica, I was not aware of any differential treatment because of the colour of my skin or my accent," he said in a biographical statement.

“But, when I arrived here and enrolled in school, I quickly learned that I was black and Jamaican, which had a very negative connotation in the minds of many people,” he says.

Wanting to make his parents proud and show them his appreciation for moving to Canada for a better life, Tulloch  rose quickly up the professional ladder and made his mark in his chosen profession. He was called to the bar in 1991 and appointed a Superior Court judge in Ontario in September 2003, at which time he was only one of three black judges on any Superior Court in Canada.

Just 15 years after being called to the bar, Justice Michael Tulloch was the first black judge appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2012, becoming the first black judge to be appointed to any appellate court in Canada.

Prior to his appointment to the bench, Chief Justice Tulloch had served as an assistant Crown Attorney in Peel and Toronto from 1991 to 1995 before entering private practice, where he specialized in criminal law.

“As a lawyer and as a judge, I am inspired by my passion for justice and profound respect for the rule of law. I hold a belief that, with the desire to give back to our society and country, it is possible to make a difference in this world,” he says. 

“The law really is an environment in which I can contribute to making Canada a better place. Specifically, in public service as a judge, a deep feeling of gratitude to Canada motivates me. 

“I treasure Canadian values, systems and way of life, and I am motivated by the belief that I can make a difference within my society and community,” the new Ontario Chief Justice declared.

Chief Justice Tulloch was born in Jamaica. He holds a B.A. from York University and a LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School. He has also received honourary Doctor of Laws degrees from the Toronto Metropolitan University, the University of Guelph, and the Law Society of Ontario, as well as an honourary Doctor of Divinity degree from Tyndale University and Seminary. 

The newly minted Ontario Chief Justice served as a member of the Ontario Superior Court Education Committee, the National Judicial Institute, and the Commissioner’s Judicial Advisory Committee on International Engagement. He was a Distinguished Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto and a Distinguished Research Fellow in the Centre of Law and Policy at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University). He was a founding member and a patron of the Second Chance Scholarship Foundation and Chair of the Advisory Board to the Black Business and Professional Association. 

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