Judge Mylene de Guzman was appointed a judge of the BC Provincial Court on March 3, 2025. She is the Court’s first judge born in the Philippines. In speaking about her appointment, Judge de Guzman commented, “My face on the Court represents British Columbia’s diversity, seen through my personal history and the choices I’ve made throughout my career. As a Filipino-Canadian, I am a living dichotomy of the marginalized and the privileged, of the simple and the complex, of the Land of the Morning and the True North, and it makes me feel lucky.” 

She credits her parents as important role models who influenced her choices by the examples they set. Her parents enjoyed a comfortable life in the Philippines, but they left everything behind to start over in Canada when martial law was imposed in their homeland in 1972. Civil rights and the rule of law had suffered under government and military overreach. Instead of bringing up their two young children in those conditions, her parents chose to give them what Canada promised: free speech, educational opportunities, and the certainty of even-handed justice through courts free from political influence. 

Judge de Guzman attributes her respect for a free and democratic society to her parents’ choice. 

As her mother joined her father in the workforce in Canada and worked overtime at two jobs, her parents demonstrated that women could do everything men did. They taught their children that when things were hard, you put your head down and tried harder. Judge de Guzman learned other important lessons from her family. 

“I was taught from an early age to lead a life of service, and that the best way to honour our parents’ gift is to contribute meaningfully to our community.  We learned to be mindful of the chances given to us by the country that sheltered our family.”

                                                                                                                Judge de Guzman 

By kindergarten, Judge de Guzman was facing the challenges of integrating with classmates from many immigrant communities, all learning a new language, culture and a way of life that was totally new to them. Growing up, she occasionally faced the pain of prejudice and discrimination, but says she mostly learned that, despite their differences, people could laugh, play, work and learn the same way. Nevertheless, she appreciates that the journey to be valued as equal in Canadian society has just begun for racialized people and those not accepted because of their gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic position, or mental health, among other factors.

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In 1991 she earned a B.A. in political science from the University of British Columbia, and in 1995, a law degree from the University of Windsor. She practised family law for 29 years, primarily in Surrey, New Westminster and Vancouver, gaining accreditation as a family mediator, arbitrator, and parenting coordinator from the Law Society of British Columbia. Helping families struggling with poverty, income inequality, mental health challenges, and substance abuse was an important part of her law practice, and she volunteered with Access Pro Bono and the Amici Curiae Friendship Society. 

Judge de Guzman also made meaningful contributions to the legal community, including serving as president of the New Westminster Bar Association in 2022, and as first vice president of the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch until her appointment. She also chaired CBABCs Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee and participated in panels discussing family law and equity and diversity issues. 

Lawyers, like judges, must participate in continuing professional education to keep them up-to-date on law and the social context within which the law operates. Judge de Guzman’s continuing education has included not just courses on law and practice skills, but training on Indigenous culture and law, which she sees as essential to Truth and Reconciliation efforts. 

“The most valuable lesson I’ve learned is that when we lean into the feelings of discomfort over difficult conversations about things we don’t understand, that is when growth happens, and change occurs.”

Judge de Guzman 

The BC Provincial Court is enriched by the diversity of its judicial officers. Its first Filipino-Canadian judge is a welcome addition to this diversity.