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25
May 2018 – “I am proud of my Filipino heritage,” Madame Justice L. Bernette Ho
declared in her remarks after taking her oath as the first Philippine-born and
newest judge in the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta in Calgary.
Justice
Ho took her oath of office and allegiance to H.M. The Queen in a swearing-in
ceremony held Friday afternoon at the Ceremonial Court Room at the Calgary
Courts Center before Associate Chief Justice John D. Rooke and the other
justices. Justice Rooke, in his
introduction, praised Justice Ho as a valuable and welcome member of the bench
who will share her extensive legal experience in Alberta’s judicial system.
Born
in the Philippines, Bernette Ho was only seven
months when her Filipino parents and four siblings migrated to straight to
Calgary, Canada in 1971. She is of Chinese
descent and when her family arrived in Calgary, her father and mother opened
the first Chinese restaurant in what is today the China town in the center of
the city.
She completed all of her
early education in Cochrane, Alberta. Justice Ho initially wanted to be journalist so she
completed her B.A. (Honours) in Communication Studies from the University
of Calgary (1992). Her undergraduate theses on the sub judice rule in relation to the work
of journalists encouraged her to complete an LL.B from the University
of Alberta (1995).
She was called to the Bar of Alberta in
1996. She articled and continued on as an associate and then partner at the
firm Macleod Dixon LLP (now Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP), working on a
wide variety of litigation and regulatory matters before acting primarily for
provincially regulated employers in relation to employment, human rights,
privacy and disability matters. She also acted for energy companies in a wide
variety of litigation and regulatory matters, particularly in relation to the
electricity industry. While at the firm, she was actively involved in
management, including serving on the firm's Articling Committee and Promotions
Committee and acting as the Practice Group Leader for the Calgary Employment and
Labour group. She appeared before all levels of court in Alberta, as well as various regulatory tribunals.
Justice
Ho has
long believed in the value of community service, as demonstrated by her
volunteer efforts with such organizations as the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank,
the Salvation Army, and Theatre Calgary, where she was a member of the Board of
Directors. Professionally, Justice Ho has
been a volunteer with the Alberta Bar Admission Course and with the Law Society
of Alberta, where she served on the
Professional Responsibility Committee and the Conduct Committee. At the time of
her appointment, she was a member of the Board of Directors for the Legal
Education Society of Alberta.
Consul General Gilberto
Asuque attended the swearing-in ceremony and conveyed the congratulations of
the Philippines and the Filipinos especially in Calgary on her assumption of
judicial duties. Consul General Asuque
(photo right) expressed the great
honor and pride of the Filipinos in Canada for having Justice Ho as the first
Philippine-born Canadian to hold a high judicial position.
Justice Ho, her mother
Angeline (who has 9 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren), eldest brother
Michael, and three sisters (she is the
youngest) welcomed guests, fellow justices, Filipino friends, and members of
bar in Alberta at a reception at the Calgary Petroleum Club