Sheila MacPherson appointed to N.W.T. Supreme Court

Longtime northern lawyer Sheila MacPherson has been appointed as a judge to the territory's Supreme Court.

Federal Justice Minister David Lametti announced her appointment Monday.

MacPherson was raised in Inuvik and Iqaluit. She was called to the N.W.T. bar in 1988, and four years later, she became the first female partner at the Cooper Johnson law firm.

She spent 25 years as a law clerk of the N.W.T Legislative Assembly, including during the division of the N.W.T. and creation of Nunavut.

Monday's news release about her appointment points to her "extensive experience" workingin child protection and family law.

She has also held several additional roles, including as president of the territory's law society and as commissioner with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

MacPhersonreplaces Justice Shannon Smallwood, who was appointed as chief justice last September.

CBC spokewith MacPherson in 2019 after theWomen's Executive Network named her one of Canada's 100 most powerful women.

At the time, she called for increased Indigenous representation within the legal field.

"I profoundly believe that we have more to do in that area," she said at the time.