FIRST READING: Canada's Supreme Court is mounting an unprecedented PR offensive

National Post

2 days ago

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The Supreme Court of Canada announced this week that its chief justice, Richard Wagner, would soon be embarking on a public relations tour of Yellowknife, N.W.T.
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Along with two other justices — Nicholas Kasirer and Michelle O'Bonsawin — he'll spend two days gladhanding with high school students, meeting with Indigenous elders and hosting forums about the glories of Canada's highest court.
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'The Supreme Court of Canada is one of the country's most significant institutions,' reads an official media release, which adds that Yellowknifers will be informed about how the court is the stoic guarantor of their 'strong and secure democratic country.'
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Sitting judges do not traditionally embark on PR tours. Not in Canada, nor in any other corner of the English-speaking world. For much of the Supreme Court's 150-year history, in fact, the general idea was to avoid the spotlight as much as possible.
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But this has been happening a lot lately. As the Supreme Court of Canada keeps wading into controversy by striking down legislation or forcing parliaments to adopt new laws, they've simultaneously been leaning hard into a big-budget PR strategy framing themselves as the defenders of democracy.
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The Yellowknife visit is one of five goodwill visits scheduled this year for the Supreme Court of Canada, all of them to celebrate the court's 150th anniversary. A two-day visit to Victoria in February ended with a $135-per-plate 'engagement' dinner that was billed as a chance to participate in a 'historic moment.'
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This year saw the court team up with the Royal Canadian Mint to issue a commemorative Loonie. 'The new $1 circulation coin serves as a shining tribute to (the Supreme Court of Canada's) unwavering dedication to the rule of law, and its service to Canadians — past, present, and future,' reads promotional literature.
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The court commissioned a children's book which features Chief Justice Wagner teaming up with an anthropological owl to teach a class of wide-eyed school children about how the Supreme Court makes 'decisions that affect all Canadians.' Children are also being invited to submit artwork and essays praising the court's work, with winners to be awarded with an 'in person or virtual meeting with the Chief Justice of Canada.'
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The Supreme Court of Canada happens to be the only public institution in the country where the incumbents are honoured with triumphal artwork. At Rideau Hall or Parliament Hill, they wait until office-holders have retired before rendering them in portraiture.