Canadian Lawyer

24 M A R C H 2 0 1 6 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m Ne orizon w h s t's where the criminal law drafted in government offices meets the gritty reality of the streets. Homeless men lie passed out near the door of Vancouver's Main Street court- house. Drug syringes litter the ground. Indigenous women, like those who have been murdered or gone missing, dot the court docket. That courthouse is also where new federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould got her trial by fire as a lawyer — an experience that influences her to this day. "I certainly look to my years as a prosecutor on the Downtown Eastside that opened my eyes wider to a lot of the inequalities that exist, that continue to exist in our society," she says. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took many observers by surprise last November when he chose Wilson-Raybould, who turns 45 this month, to become Canada's jus- tice minister and attorney general — the first indigenous Canadian to ever fill that role. The task she faces became even more obvious when the government made public her mandate letter; a daunting list filled with legally complex and hot-button, emotionally charged issues. Review the government's litigation strategy. Mod- ernize Canada's criminal justice system. Conduct a review of the Harper govern- ment's tough-on-crime changes. Draft legislation to allow physician-assisted death by the deadline imposed by the Supreme Court. Launch an inquiry into murdered and missing indigenous women. Restore a modern court challenges program. Toughen the laws and bail conditions in cases of domestic assault. Overhaul controversial Conservative anti- terrorism Bill 51 and Bill 42 on firearms. Make gender identity prohibited grounds for discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act. Legalize marijuana. Wilson-Raybould knows she's got her work cut out for her, describing the challenge ahead as "overwhelming" but "a tremendous opportunity." She tells Canadian Lawyer, "It's a tremendous honour to be here but it is going to take a lot of work and it is going to take the support of lawyers right across the country and Canadians." If she appears unafraid to tackle a challenge that might make others flinch, it comes By Elizabeth Thompson Canada's first aboriginal justice minister brings a unique vision to a complex and difficult portfolio. f the ourt- been new — an cutor that mber s jus- role. ublic tton, Mod- vern- y the ssing s and anti- ds for enge wyer, r ng to omes I JESSICA DEEKS

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