Suzanne Côté (born September 21, 1958) is a
puisne justice
A puisne judge or puisne justice (; from french: puisné or ; , 'since, later' + , 'born', i.e. 'junior') is a dated term for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. Use
The term is used almost exclusively in common law ...
of the
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...
. She was nominated by
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
to replace retiring justice
Louis LeBel
Louis LeBel (born November 30, 1939) is a former puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. He served on the Court from 2000 to 2014.
LeBel was born in Quebec City. He is the son of lawyer Paul LeBel, Q.C.
He went to school at the Collège ...
. Before her appointment to the Supreme Court, she was a partner at
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP is a Canadian-based law firm founded in 1862. Osler is considered one of the Seven Sisters (law firms), a historical collection of seven law firms with offices in Toronto, Ontario.
History
The firm was founded in ...
LLP
A limited liability partnership (LLP) is a partnership in which some or all partners (depending on the jurisdiction) have limited liabilities. It therefore can exhibit elements of partnerships and corporations. In an LLP, each partner is not ...
and previously
Stikeman Elliott
Stikeman Elliott LLP is a Canadian business law firm founded in 1952 by H. Heward Stikeman and Fraser Elliott. The firm has offices located in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver, New York, London and Sydney. Since 2021, the firm's cha ...
LLP in
Montréal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...
. She is the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court directly from private practice.
Early life and education
She had wanted to be a lawyer since age 11.
While her mother wanted her to become a teacher, as a child Suzanne enjoyed reading about high-profile legal cases.
Côté did her legal studies at the
Faculté de droit de l'Université Laval.
Career
While a student, Côté worked at a small law firm in
Gaspé.
She bought half of her employer's practice.
Côté was called to the
Bar of Quebec
The Bar of Quebec (french: Barreau du Québec) is the regulatory body for the practice of advocates in the Canadian province of Quebec and one of two legal regulatory bodies in the province. It was founded on May 30, 1849, as the Bar of Lower Ca ...
in 1981.
She went on to become a partner at
Stikeman Elliott
Stikeman Elliott LLP is a Canadian business law firm founded in 1952 by H. Heward Stikeman and Fraser Elliott. The firm has offices located in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver, New York, London and Sydney. Since 2021, the firm's cha ...
LLP
A limited liability partnership (LLP) is a partnership in which some or all partners (depending on the jurisdiction) have limited liabilities. It therefore can exhibit elements of partnerships and corporations. In an LLP, each partner is not ...
in
Montréal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...
, and later
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP is a Canadian-based law firm founded in 1862. Osler is considered one of the Seven Sisters (law firms), a historical collection of seven law firms with offices in Toronto, Ontario.
History
The firm was founded in ...
LLP.
At Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, she oversaw the firm's Montreal office litigation group while her own practice area centred around complex civil and commercial cases.
Her clients in private practice included
Jean Pelletier
Jean Pelletier, (; February 21, 1935 – January 10, 2009) was a Canadian politician who served as the 37th mayor of Quebec City, Chief of Staff in the Prime Minister's Office, and chairman of Via Rail. He was a leading organizer of the Libe ...
, who once served as chief of staff to Prime Minister
Jean Chretien
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* J ...
, and
Imperial Tobacco
Imperial Brands plc (formerly Imperial Tobacco Group plc), is a British multinational tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, England. It is the world's fourth-largest international cigarette company measured by market share after Philip Mor ...
.
She defended Imperial Tobacco in a 2012 class-action lawsuit by arguing that the public had been aware of the negative effects of smoking since the 1960s.
Côté has taught courses at
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...
, the
Université du Québec à Rimouski
The Université du Québec à Rimouski (commonly referred to as UQAR) is a public university located in Rimouski, Quebec, Canada with a campus in Lévis.
Since its establishment in 1969, Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) has granted ...
, and at the Bar of Quebec.
Supreme Court of Canada
She was nominated to the
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...
by
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
to replace retiring justice
Louis LeBel
Louis LeBel (born November 30, 1939) is a former puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. He served on the Court from 2000 to 2014.
LeBel was born in Quebec City. He is the son of lawyer Paul LeBel, Q.C.
He went to school at the Collège ...
.
She was appointed a puisne justice on December 1, 2014. She is the first woman appointed directly from private practice.
In June 2018, Côté wrote a concurrence when the majority found that the
Canadian Human Rights Tribunal's determination that the
Indian Act
The ''Indian Act'' (, long name ''An Act to amend and consolidate the laws respecting Indians'') is a Canadian act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and still ...
did not violate the
Canadian Human Rights Act
The ''Canadian Human Rights Act'' (french: Loi canadienne sur les droits de la personne) is a statute passed by the Parliament of Canada in 1977 with the express goal of extending the law to ensure equal opportunity to individuals who may be vi ...
was reasonable due to
judicial deference
Judicial deference is the condition of a court yielding or submitting its judgment to that of another legitimate party, such as the executive branch in the case of national defense. It is most commonly found in countries, such as the United Kingdo ...
, in which she argued instead that the Tribunal's decision was correct.
In March 2021, the Supreme Court
found that the federal government's carbon price regime is
constitutional
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princip ...
. Côté was one of three dissenting justices. In her decision, she agreed carbon pricing is a matter of “national concern,” but disagreed that
the federal law was constitutional as written.
Personal life
Côté is married to
Gerald R. Tremblay, who is a lawyer practicing in the province of Quebec.
See also
*
Reasons of the Supreme Court of Canada by Justice Côté
References
External links
Biography: The Honourable Madam Justice Suzanne Côtéat the Supreme Court of Canada
Biographyat Osler, Hoskin, and Harcourt LLP
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cote, Suzanne
Constitutional court women judges
Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada
Living people
1958 births
Lawyers in Quebec
Canadian women judges
French Quebecers
Université Laval alumni
People from Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine
Université Laval Faculté de droit alumni
21st-century Canadian judges
21st-century women judges