On June 19, 2024, LASA hosted its Annual Historical Dinner in Calgary. We were delighted to welcome the Honourable Peter Martin of the Court of Appeal of Alberta who spoke to us about the changes he witnessed in the law and the courts over his 50 years of work as a practicing lawyer, trial judge, and appeal justice.
Allan Shewchuk, K.C. was the Master of Ceremonies, the Honourable Sheilah Martin of the Supreme Court of Canada introduced him, and his appeal court colleague the Honourable William deWit, Court of Appeal of Alberta thanked Justice Peter Martin.
The evening was a celebration of the career of a well-respected crown prosecutor and Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench and Court of Appeal. It was full of humorous reflections both personal and professional.
Justice Peter Martin spoke about two significant changes in the law over his forty-eight year career that he considered positive for the profession and the public.
First, he stressed the wisdom of the appointment of women to the bench. He noted that when he first arrived in Alberta in 1976, there were no women sitting on a federally-appointed court in the Province. That changed shortly after his arrival when the Honourable Elizabeth McFadyen was appointed to the District Court in late 1976. This was followed two years later in 1978 with the appointment to the District Court of the Honourable Mary Hetherington.
In 1985 Justice Hetherington was appointed to the Alberta Court of Appeal. In 1993, Alberta surpassed a milestone when the Court of Appeal had Canada’s first all-female appellate panel that included Chief Justice Catherine Fraser (the first woman appointed Chief Justice in a federally-appointed court in Canada), the Honourable Carole Conrad, and the Honourable Mary Hetherington.
Justice Martin told us that of the current ten justices in the Court of Appeal in Calgary, two are men and eight are women. In the Court of King’s Bench and Alberta Court of Justice, there is an now an equal representation of men and women. He observed that the women appointed have brought an insight and balance to the courts that is to the benefit of the administration of justice.
The second significant occurrence was the advent of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Justice Martin suggested that this law defines the roles, rights, and responsibilities of the citizens of Canada. It also clearly lays out the limits on the government’s right to infringe on those rights.
As a former prosecutor, Justice Martin offered an example of how the Charter changed criminal law. Before the Charter, evidence, regardless of how it was obtained, was admissible if it was relevant. Since then, evidence obtained illegally cannot be relied upon.
Justice Martin described a few ‘characters’ that crossed his path he encountered during his time as a young lawyer in Calgary. Describing the Honourable Milt Harradence as a “devastatingly handsome man” who was always impeccably dressed, he stated Justice Harradence was the ‘go to’ guy on all matters criminal. He had fond memories of Justice Brian Stevenson of the Alberta Court of Justice, who was a judge in 1976 and continues to sit today, as a “wise jurist administering justice with compassion.”
LASA thanks all those who attended the Calgary Historical Dinner for their support that helps continue the work of preserving and promoting Alberta’s legal heritage. LASA thanks all those staf and volunteers that made the dinner possible, and the all-star speakers who made the evening memorable. Most of all, LASA thanks the Honourable Peter Martin, who accepted our invitation, and entertained everyone.
