The Hon. Vibert Rosemay

Justice Vibert Rosemay recounts his journey from British Guiana to becoming one of the first Black provincial court judges in Ontario. After completing his undergraduate studies at St. Dunstan’s University in Prince Edward Island and law school at Dalhousie University, he established a sole criminal law practice in New Toronto in the 1970s. His clientele was evenly split between Black and white clients, handling typical criminal matters including break and enter, robbery, theft, and assault cases.

Rosemay was deeply involved in civil rights activism and community organizing during the early years of Canada’s multiculturalism policy under Pierre Trudeau. He co-founded the influential Delos Davis Law Association with lawyer Marva Jemmott, naming it after Ontario’s first Black lawyer who faced significant barriers to practice in the 1880s. The organization gained prominence by hosting events with notable figures including Lincoln Alexander and Chief Justice Howland, and eventually expanded beyond Black lawyers to include all visible minorities.

Appointed to the provincial bench in 1991 by NDP Attorney General Howard Hampton, Rosemay served primarily in Brampton where he observed the court system’s evolution toward greater judicial civility and procedural fairness. He reflects critically on the lack of diversity on the Ontario bench, particularly the underrepresentation of South Asian and Chinese judges despite their large populations in the Greater Toronto Area. His interview provides valuable insights into the experiences of minority lawyers in Ontario’s legal system during a pivotal period of social change.

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