In recognition of his illustrious service as a Supreme Court justice and his leadership in improving access to justice
Ottawa (January 9, 2018) — Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) is pleased to announce that The Honourable Thomas Albert Cromwell has been appointed a companion of the Order of Canada, the highest level of the Order of Canada, for his illustrious service as a Supreme Court justice and for his leadership in improving access to justice for all Canadians. The Order of Canada is one of the highest civilian honours and the appointments were announced on December 29, 2017 by Governor General Julie Payette.
Mr. Cromwell is counsel to BLG. As a member of the judiciary, Mr. Cromwell sat on the Supreme Court of Canada from December 2008 to September 2016 and on the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal from 1997 to 2008. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Mr. Cromwell was executive legal officer to Chief Justice Antonio Lamer from 1992 to 1995. He began his career practising law in Kingston and Toronto, and has taught in the Faculty of Law at Dalhousie University.
Mr. Cromwell was the first recipient of the Louis St Laurent Award of Excellence from the Canadian Bar Association, is the recipient of four honorary doctorates in law and is an honorary fellow of Exeter College Oxford and the American College of Trial Lawyers. An award in his name, The Honourable Thomas Cromwell Award for Public Service, has been established by the Queen's law faculty. He retired from the Supreme Court of Canada on September 1, 2016. Mr. Cromwell serves as the Chair of the Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters and is a Trudeau Foundation mentor.
We congratulate our colleague and the other recipients on this great honour. Governor General Julie Payette will present all 125 appointees with their insignia at Rideau Hall at a later date, marking the 50th anniversary of the ceremony's history.