FORSETH – Announcement of Len Marchand Jr.’s appointment incomplete
Len Marchand Jr.
TODAY, PRIME MINISTER Justin Trudeau appointed the Honourable Leonard Marchand as the new Chief Justice of British Columbia and Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal of Yukon.
This follows his being appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 2017 and to the Court of Appeal for British Columbia in 2021.
What makes this announcement a point of interest is in the backgrounder, released with his notice of appointment:
He articled and practised at Fulton & Company LLP in Kamloops from 1994 to 2013. His practice focused on the liability of public authorities. He has appeared before all levels of court in British Columbia and many administrative tribunals.
Chief Justice Marchand has dedicated a substantial portion of his career to achieving reconciliation for Indigenous Peoples, including by advancing civil claims on behalf of residential school Survivors. In 2005, he helped negotiate and was a signatory to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. He then served on the Oversight Committee for the Independent Assessment Process and the Selection Committee for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Chief Justice Marchand is Syilx and a member of the Okanagan Indian Band. He grew up in Kamloops. After completing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering at the University of British Columbia in 1986, he worked in the oil industry for several years. He then attended law school at the University of Victoria and graduated in 1994.
The late Senator Len Marchand.
For many in this region, the first thing that comes to mind when hearing the Marchand name is the late Leonard Marchand Senior who passed away in 2016. He was elected to the federal riding of Kamloops–Cariboo in 1968 and went on to serve as an MP and cabinet minister for over a decade until his defeat in 1979. He then was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 1984.
Why do I bring this up?
Regrettably by omitting the above background information, I have made note it makes the judicial appointment of Lenard Marchand a political issue. His father … the late Leonard Marchand Senior, was a LIBERAL MP, Cabinet Minister, and Senator.
Now before I get hammered for demeaning the character of the late Leonard Marchand Senior, let me just say most people I know are extremely proud of the fact that he was our MP (Kamloops-Cariboo) for many years and for his many accomplishments both in and out of politics, including being the first status Indigenous person elected to the federal government.
The fact that some will now question whether todays’ announcement was for ‘political’ reasons, due to that deliberate(?) omission of facts, is a shame.
What should be a proud moment for the Marchand family, will start out with a grey cloud over it.
In Kamloops, I’m Alan Forseth.
Alan Forseth is a Kamloops resident. For 40 years he has been active, in a number of capacities, in local, provincial and federal politics, including running as a candidate for the BC Reform Party in the 1996 provincial election. He was involved in the BC Liberal leadership campaign and is now a member of the BC Conservative Party.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
Ya … no.
I will usually decide to bicker quietly regarding Alan’s ideas in his columns, and that’s just normal in a free society … different ideals, different ways to express them. All good when truth is behind any one side, everything else is perspective.
THIS though … is just an attempt to divert the conversation from accolades due for Marchand Jr and his appointment, and instead fling a hatchet at the Federal Government … cause that’s what Conservatives do at every possible opportunity.
With absolute intentionality, Mr. Forseth is brewing up rhetoric for no reason. To be clear, yes, Marchand Sr is well heeded by many in the community, but to twist that fond memory of the past into ammunition of “today’s announcement was for ‘political’ reasons, due to that deliberate(?) omission of facts”,
… what?
What are you even talking about?
No one … in any other media report I could find regarding this appointment drew this political conclusion, Mr. Forseth is alone with this. There is obviously no political connection in the real world regarding this announcement or the appointment itself, as there was no need for the announcement to include a mention of anything that does not affect the appointment.
Ya, Len was great … but he would be fine with it the way it is, and I’m sure Jr’s family is very proud and dont see or need, some supposed Conservatives grey cloud.
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Alan, are you a Conservative party member, here to speak about politics? Are you wishing or suggesting that someone who has a connection to the Conservative party should have become Chief Justice?
Can you please explain your motivation for writing this?
When you or someone else writes your Curriculum Vitae or otherwise lists your accomplishments, do you also list your mother or father’s accomplishments? Or are these omitted for political reasons?
Why do you think you may be demeaning the character of Len Marchand Sr. by writing your opinion column?
When you say “some” will question whether this is a political announcement because of the omission of the father’s accomplishments as a politician, how is it that you arrive at this conclusion? Is the “some” just you? Or did you run a scientific poll?
Your opinion is very strange and I am having difficulty comprehending it.
Perhaps you can answer the above questions to enlighten me and possibly any other readers who may share my confusion.
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Bob …if you fully read my commentary you will see I clearly indicated that most were proud to have had Len Marchand as our MP — myself included. His accomplishments were due to his hard work and perserverance.
My ONLY reason for writing this was the PM’s made– in my personal opinion — a huge error in not including Marchand Senior. As someone from this area, knowing the background, it seems a glaring, and possibly, deliberate omission.
Let me also say Leonard Marchand (the lawyer) is every bit accomplished and I feel fairly certain that work ethic was handed down from his parents.
Again …this was, and is, nothing against either Marchand.
The ONLY reason this has come up was due to what I believe was a political decision by the PMs office to omit information from the backgrounder included in the media release I received
Best regards … Alan
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I did read your commentary fully, several times in fact. In my opinion, it appears to me that you are trying to create an issue where none exists, seemingly for political reasons. I am also from this area and see no need whatsoever to have the appointment announcement refer to anything other than the credentials of the person who has been appointed.
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Dear Alan
Shame on you – at a time when our community is taking great pleasure in the appoint of Chief Justice Len Marchand and fully aware of who his father was and his fathers’ accomplishments.
You are nit picking and for your own political reasons.
No gray cloud here at all. Just a great reason for our community to celebrate!!!!
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The junior is accomplished and well-liked and the senior was also accomplished and well-liked.
As long as the laws are equitable and reasonable and as long as the equitable and reasonable laws are applied equitably and reasonably I don’t care about any ancillary arguments.
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