Ronald Martland, CC, AOE (February 10, 1907 – November 20, 1997) was a Canadian lawyer and Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.
[1] He graduated from high school at the age of 14, but was too young to attend university, so he worked as a page in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for two years.
Martland was called to the bar of Alberta in 1932 and practised law at the firm of Milner, Carr, Dafoe & Poirier for over 25 years.
[1] Martland was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on January 15, 1958,[2] on the nomination of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.
However, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau chose instead to appoint Bora Laskin as Chief Justice.
[5] One of the most notable cases that Martland presided over was that of Irene Murdoch, a rancher who had been severely abused by her husband for years.
The Supreme Court under Martland refused to give her any part of the property, in a decision that "shocked the consciousness of Canadians" and led to widespread calls for reform.