The Hon. Ronald Martland

Justice Ronald Martland (1907-1988) served on the Supreme Court of Canada from 1958 to 1982, representing one of the most distinguished legal careers in Canadian history. Born near Liverpool, England, he immigrated to Edmonton in 1911 and became a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, where he won the prestigious Vinerian Law Prize. After articling with H.R. Milner in Edmonton, he became a partner specializing in utility law, particularly natural gas cases, and was made King’s Counsel in 1943. His practice included significant cases like the Corona Hotel explosion case that went to the Privy Council and the controversial MacMillan v. Brownlee seduction case.

Appointed to the Supreme Court by Prime Minister Diefenbaker in 1958, Martland participated in landmark cases that shaped Canadian constitutional and civil rights law, including Roncarelli v. Duplessis, the Drybones case involving the Bill of Rights, and the Lady Chatterley’s Lover obscenity case. He witnessed major changes in the Court, including the introduction of law clerks in 1968 and the controversial appointment of Bora Laskin as Chief Justice over the more senior Martland. Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, he handled critical constitutional cases including the Anti-Inflation Act Reference, the Morgentaler abortion case, and the Constitutional Reference regarding patriation. After retiring in 1982, he worked with Honeywell Wotherspoon law firm, leaving behind a legacy as a careful jurist who favored strict legal interpretation over judicial activism.

This description was written by AI and may contain some inaccuracies.