Ronald Martland

Ronald Martland, CC QC AOE (February 10, 1907 – November 20, 1997) was a Canadian Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Born in Liverpool, England, he was the second Albertan ever to be appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. Justice Martland attended the University of Alberta and obtained a B.A. in 1926 and an LL.B in 1928. He was awarded Rhodes Scholarship and studied at Oxford University, where he played for the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club. He received a BA and a BCL at Oxford, and was the first Canadian recipient of the Vinerian Prize. Ronald Martland was called to the bar of Alberta in 1932 and practiced law at the firm of Milner, Carr, Dafoe & Poirier for over 25 years. He was a bencher of the Law Society of Alberta between 1948 and 1958. He served on the supreme court as Puisne Justice for 24 years prior to his retirement in February 1982 at the mandatory age of 75.

It had been the tradition that the most senior judge on the bench would be appointed its chief justice. When that time came Pierre Trudeau appointed the very junior Bora Laskin as the chief judge instead of Justice Martland.

Martland was a member of the Anglican Church of Canada.