The Honourable
Suzanne Côté
Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
Assumed office
December 1, 2014
Nominated byStephen Harper
Appointed byDavid Johnston
Preceded byLouis LeBel
Personal details
Born (1958-09-21) September 21, 1958
Cloridorme, Québec
SpouseGérald R. Tremblay
Alma materUniversité Laval
ProfessionLawyer, jurist

Suzanne Côté (born September 21, 1958) is a puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. She was nominated by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to replace retiring justice Louis LeBel. Before her appointment to the Supreme Court, she was a partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP and previously Stikeman Elliott LLP in Montréal. 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.[1] While her mother wanted her to become a teacher, as a child Suzanne enjoyed reading about high-profile legal cases.[1] Côté did her legal studies at the Faculté de droit de l'Université Laval.[2]

Career

While a student, Côté worked at a small law firm in Gaspé.[3] She bought half of her employer's practice.[3] Côté was called to the Bar of Quebec in 1981.[4] She went on to become a partner at Stikeman Elliott LLP in Montréal,[5] and later Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP.[6] 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.[4] Her clients in private practice included Jean Pelletier, who once served as chief of staff to Prime Minister Jean Chretien, and Imperial Tobacco.[3] 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.[3]

Côté has taught courses at Université de Montréal, the Université du Québec à Rimouski, and at the Bar of Quebec.[2]

Supreme Court of Canada

She was nominated to the Supreme Court of Canada by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to replace retiring justice Louis LeBel.[6] She was appointed a puisne justice on December 1, 2014.[7] She is the first woman appointed directly from private practice.[8]

In June 2018, Côté wrote a concurrence when the majority found that the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal's determination that the Indian Act did not violate the Canadian Human Rights Act was reasonable due to judicial deference, in which she argued instead that the Tribunal's decision was correct.[9]

In June 2020, Côté dissented alone when the majority found that an arbitration clause in a standard form contract was void for unconscionability in Uber Technologies Inc v Heller.[10][11]

In March 2021, the Supreme Court found that the federal government's carbon price regime is constitutional. 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.[12]

Personal life

Côté is married to Gerald R. Tremblay, who is a lawyer practicing in the province of Quebec.[13]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Sznajder, Rick (November 27, 2014). "Suzanne Côté: 5 things about Canada's newest Supreme Court justice". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Canada, Supreme Court of (January 1, 2001). "Supreme Court of Canada - Biography - Suzanne Côté". Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Edwards, Peter (November 27, 2014). "Suzanne Côté: 5 things about Canada's newest Supreme Court justice | The Star". thestar.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Wilton, Katherine (February 9, 2015). "New Supreme Court justice Suzanne Côté one of Quebec's top litigators". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Suzanne Côté leaving Stikeman to head up litigation at Osler". Montreal Gazette. November 29, 2010. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Suzanne Côté, Quebec lawyer, named by Harper to Supreme Court". CBC News. November 27, 2014. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Supreme Court of Canada - Biography - Suzanne Côté". March 4, 2015. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  8. ↑ Hall, Chris (November 27, 2014). "Suzanne Côté, Harper's Supreme Court pick, soothes a self-inflicted wound". CBC News. Archived from the original on March 9, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  9. ↑ Note, Recent Case: Supreme Court of Canada Clarifies Standard of Review Framework, 132 Harv. L. Rev. 1772 (2019).
  10. ↑ Note, Recent Case: Supreme Court of Canada Targets Standard Form Contracts, 134 Harv. L. Rev. 2598 (2021).
  11. ↑ Uber Technologies Inc v Heller, 2020 SCC 16
  12. ↑ "The Supreme Court rules Canada's carbon price is constitutional. It's a big win for Justin Trudeau's climate plan". Toronto Star. March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  13. ↑ Macleod, Ian (December 20, 2014). "The honeymoon's over: Côté's learning curve at Supreme Court will be steep and swift". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
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