According to a report by newswire.ca, Shergill is a sole practitioner with Shergill and Company and has extensive trial appellate experience. She has appeared before courts and tribunal across Canada including the Supreme Court of Canada. In a report by PTI, the World Sikh Organisation (WSO) welcomed Shergill’s appointment and has called it a ‘milestone’ for the Sikh community in Canada. The president of World Sikh Organisation (WSO) Mukhbir Singh said,”It is a matter of great pride that today we have the first turbaned Sikh-appointed to the judiciary in Canada.” The Organisation added that the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Jody Wilson-Raybould had announced the appointment of the Indian-origin Sikh under the new judicial application process revealed on October 20 last year, said the WSO of Canada. Shergill has been an important figure in helping shape human rights and religious accommodation law in Canada through her work as general legal counsel for the WSO since 1991.
Palbinder Kaur Shergill was born in Rurka Kalan in Jalandhar district. Her family had then migrated to Canada when she four-years-old. Currently, she stays with her husband, daughter and two sons in Surrey, British Columbia. She has fought various cases for Canadian Sikh community which also includes the rights of Sikh students wearing a ‘kirpan’ in schools. Justice Shergill is a recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for Community Service and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2012. She volunteers as a high school debate coach and is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She is fluent in English and Hindi and is learning French.