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Chief Justice of British Columbia and Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal of Yukon from December 8, 2023-present.

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A Syilx Okanagan man, who grew up in Kamloops, B.C. He is the first person of Indigenous (First Nations) identity to hold the post of Chief Justice. He is the son of Donna Marchand and politician Leonard Marchand who was the first Indigenous man to serve in the federal Cabinet.

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Born 1968 in Kamloops, B.C. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1986 with a B.A.Sc. in chemical engineering. He worked in the oil industry for five years before attending law school at the University of Victoria, graduating in 1994.

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2023: Interviewed by Brandon D. Hastings & Isabel Jackson

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2023: Interviewed by Brandon D. Hastings & Isabel Jackson

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Q: You have done a lot in your career. What made you choose your path?

"I became a judge because I felt like I could offer litigants something from my knowledge of how people, especially Indigenous people, come into conflict with the law, how people should be treated within the process, and how good solutions can be found. I knew being a Provincial Court judge was going to be a steep learning curve, and I was lucky to be supported by good counsel in my courtrooms, and local judges who mentored me and gave me their time and guidance. It was a very satisfying role. I would have been very happy to continue in that role until the day I retired, but I was aware that there were at that time a very limited number of Indigenous judges sitting in superior courts in BC and across the country. That lack of representation was a concern to me as an Indigenous person working within the justice system; that was a big factor in my decision to apply to serve on the Supreme Court. I felt like I could make a difference on the Supreme Court".

Q: What does access to justice mean to you?

"Access to justice means that all people who have a legal issue can access a system that is understandable, responsive, affordable, and tries to minimize barriers."

Q: What’s your favourite thing about being a judge?

"As a trial judge, my favourite thing was interacting with the people whose cases were before me. I hoped they felt heard and left the courtroom with a favourable view of the justice system, regardless of the outcome. As an appellate judge, I miss having face-to-face contact with the people whose lives are affected by my decisions, but I know the decisions I’m making now will have an impact on those people and on others. It is rewarding to find good solutions, do my best to articulate the law in a way that real people can understand, and to do it in a way that hopefully shows empathy for the circumstances people are in. It’s about making law accessible to people, and bringing my experiences as an Indigenous person to the role. Those are the things that I’m excited about."

These replies reveal so much about Honorable Marchand, specifically, his beliefs, thought process and morals. Things that make a huge impact on leaders decisions and ultimately their qualities and/if they are worthy enough to be a leader and the role he has taken on, he has proven himself to be quite promising and a complete understanding of how justice should be served.

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Len Marchand Jr. gave the eulogy at their father, Len Marchand Sr.'s. 

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The ability to come out in a time of mourning and reflect on his fathers leadership qualities ironically reveals his leadership qualities. “I’ve always been proud to be my father’s son, and now I’m equally proud to be my sons’ father,” he said. “And I hope to be the same kind of father to them that my father was to me. That would be the greatest thing I could do in my life.” Perhaps, simply out of love for his father Leonard Marchand Jr. spoke words of warmth that united those gathered together, a quality that hinted at his leadership.

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From 1995 to 2013, he practiced law at Fulton & Company LLP in Kamloops, where his practice focused on the liability of public authorities, including by advancing civil claims for abuses suffered by residential school survivors. In 2013, he was appointed to the Provincial Court of British Columbia. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 2017. In 2021, he was appointed to the British Columbia Court of Appeal. Before being appointed in December 2023, as Chief Justice of British Columbia and the Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal of Yukon.

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Notably, in 2005, he helped negotiate and was a signatory to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. He served on the Oversight Committee for the Independent Assessment Process and on the Chief Adjudicator's Reference Group and Marchand was asked to serve on the Selection Committee to make recommendations on appointments to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

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“If no qualified Indigenous person ever applies, no qualified Indigenous person will ever be appointed." April 1, 2023.

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Leonard Marchand: Indigenous representation. 

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Leonard Marchand: Indigenous representation. 

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Leonard Marchand, in an interview in 2023, stated "It's important to have Indigenous voices throughout the justice system, so that we can start to establish, for the first time, a level of trust in a system that has such profound effects on the everyday lives of Indigenous people. We live in this amazing country. When you look out the window you see things that function and are generally fair. You see people aspiring to achieve goals, and having opportunities to reach them. And why is that? It's because we have a true democracy with free and fair elections; where our elected representatives pass laws that are generally respected by the citizens; legal disputes are resolved by courts; and people abide by those decisions. If we didn't have that, it would all fall apart. However, there are some parts of our society, and not just Indigenous communities, that are structurally disadvantaged. In those parts of our society, it’s not the same picture when you look out the window: people in those communities don’t see the same opportunities. As I see it, the justice system has a big role to play in trying to improve things for everyone, especially the structurally disadvantaged. As a human being and a jurist, I think we need the system to work for everybody, not just for some people. We are all of equal worth, and we all deserve a justice system that is responsive to our needs. Having Indigenous representation on the Bench is one way to help ensure our judiciary sees the right picture as we work to find the best legal solutions to complex problems." We don't take enough steps to reconciliation, we lack fresh ideas and in cases, we lack positive outcomes and we can see over time that this is because of the lack of indigenous representation, which is what Honorable Leonard Marchand brings up and states in this interview.