Justice Smith was appointed to the British Columbia Court of Appeal on May 22, 2008. She is now one of 15 full-time judges sitting in the highest court of the province. She earned the Queens Counsel designation in 1993 and has a distinguished career and strong connection to Kamloops.

Justice Daphne Smith was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree on October 8, 2010 at fall Convocation. Below is her acceptance speech to those who gathered for the ceremony.

“Thank you for your kind words of introduction.

Madam Chancellor, Mr. President, Faculty, and especially graduating students.

It is my privilege to be with you this day…a privilege because you have earned your degree through your considerable efforts at this institution. Mine, on the other hand, is being bestowed for contributions made outside what I proudly now can call “our” university.

My association with the academy has been in, around, and of the law — and its close companion, public policy.

Throughout my academic and working life, I have had a great passion for the rule of law and all that notion means for whom we can be as citizens; and how we can advance the concepts of civility, respect, and empowerment both for individuals and nations. these objectives, I sincerely believe, can be achieved by sharing with and embedding in others a similar passion for the rule of law.

During my life I have had the advantage of traveling abroad. But that travel also has reminded me how the rule of law, which is so much a part of our life in Canada, often is beyond the reach of citizens in many countries around the globe.

Thompson Rivers University always has been a bridge for people who have crossed its pathways to learning. This university offers a bridge between countries; a bridge that draws links amongst tradespeople, professionals, and skilled workers; a bridge that enables first nations culture to inform and enrich our many avenues for learning; and a bridge for continuous learning in our homes, offices, or elsewhere through the Open Learning Centre.

All of these bridges, created by our institution, have transformed and made this community a much more vital, enriched, and stable place in which to live and grow.

And looking forward, I see how Thompson Rivers University Law School, commencing in the fall of 2011, will provide a wonderful opportunity to create yet another bridge… by using our university’s laddering philosophy to tear down barriers, economic and otherwise, for those who need or want to learn about the rule of law and access our system of justice… closer to home

In closing, I wish to leave you with the following. May each of you take from our academy all that you will need to become a bridge between this institution and rewarding, productive, and contributing future for yourself, your community, and your country.. and most importantly to be a bridge to the idea that through education we can help others to have hope and to never give up, but to always push the limits of our ability.

Thank you and my warmest congratulations to each of the graduates.”