Linda Ann Loo

1947 –

From a Shy, Unwanted Resident to a Supreme Court Judge

LINDA LOO BECAME THE FIRST CHINESE CANADIAN FEMALE JUDGE AT THE SUPREME COURT IN BC IN 1996.

Born in Vancouver BC in 1947, Linda Ann Loo was a Canadian lawyer and judge. Growing up, her family was subjected to a lot of the discriminatory laws. Though she was extremely shy and there were very few women, Linda Ann Loo studied Law at UBC in 1974 and was a practicing lawyer for Hydro BC for twelve years. As a civil litigator she argued, and won, a case before the Supreme Court of Canada.

On September 24, 1996, at the age of 49, Loo became a justice of the B.C. Supreme Court, the first female Chinese-Canadian to serve on that bench. She was recommended to the bench by the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia David Lam and then Governor-General Roméo LeBlanc, Loo was appointed an associate justice of the Supreme Court
of British Columbia.

When asked about her biggest achievement, she noted that it was seeing her father at her swearing in ceremony. She continues to serve today at the Supreme Court.

In [my father’s] lifetime, we’ve gone from the Manchu dynasty to
the courthouse on Smithe Street
— it’s quite a leap.