What it Takes: Arianne Joanette-Péloquin, lawyer, special advisor, and mentor
Arianne Joanette-Peloquin was once told by a close family member that she didn’t have what it takes to become a lawyer, primarily because she was a woman.
So how do you go from, “not having what it takes” to being a trusted counsel and departmental leader? Arianne’s journey is one of using challenges as motivators, of building confidence in yourself and your capabilities, and of inspiring yourself from others.
It is a journey that started as a child, while watching an infamous trial.
A spark ignited
Growing up in Gatineau, Quebec, Arianne remembers the precise moment that she became interested in law: she was home sick from school in the mid-1990s and was sitting in front of the television with her mom, watching the O.J. Simpson trial in the United States. The trial was an international sensation, and the prosecution was represented by Marcia Clark, or, to Arianne’s eyes, “a lady in a suit who was commanding the floor”. Looking at her, Arianne was struck by her composure, the only woman in a room full of men. It opened a world that she had never considered before.
She wanted to learn more about what it meant to be a lawyer like the lady in the suit and, in grade six, she went on a tour of Canada’s Supreme Court with her school. Arianne was filled with a sense of wonder, of the importance of the institution and how lucky we were in Canada to have such a strong foundation of laws. It affirmed to her that law was her clear calling. She started to think about where she would study.
But life at home was challenging. Arianne’s parents were going through a difficult divorce and money was tight. Eventually she would go and live with her mother. All of this took a toll on her and the entire family. But Arianne’s goal of becoming a lawyer was something that gave her a laser-beam-like focus in challenging times. Some of her family were very encouraging and others not so much.
Arianne was working three jobs at the same time to make the money necessary to pay for her education when she saw the student job posting for the Department of Justice. The listed position would have her working on a special project at essentially the biggest law firm in Canada. “Being a first-year student and getting to work at the Department of Justice is very appealing,” she said. She applied and was accepted.
Every summer, during her university years, Arianne worked at the department where she supported the lawyers and worked on a variety of projects. At the end of each summer, she would put together a binder, outlining her highlights, in hopes that she would be hired back the following year.
She always was.
When she graduated, she received an offer from the department to continue on as an articling student. Despite having enjoyed all her work there, she felt she needed to test the waters and decided to meet with some law firms.
While Arianne’s confidence grew, she still had echoes of being told by some that she “didn’t have what it takes”. Wherever she went, she knew that she was going to give it her all.
After an interview with a firm, Arianne kept chatting with the interviewer and mentioned that she had received an opportunity at the Department of Justice. The interviewer closed the door and turned to her. Arianne still remembers what she said. “She said, as a young woman in law if you have an offer from the Department of Justice, you have to take it,” Arianne recalls. The woman interviewing her said that if she wanted a family and work life balance, that it was the place to be. “I was 22 years old at the time and I had a lot of ambition, I wasn’t thinking about that stuff but what she said stuck with me.”
That push was enough - Arianne accepted the position at the Department of Justice. She loved the people she had worked with there and was excited to reconnect and get started, her career was waiting.
Six weeks later she found out that she was pregnant.
A change in direction
Arianne was nervous about approaching her hiring manager and telling him that she was expecting. While he was outlining the work for the upcoming year, she spoke up: “I’m sorry, I have some bad news: I’m pregnant.” She still remembers his reply. “Are you kidding? That is amazing news! Congratulations! Why aren’t you happy?”
She realized then that she had made the right choice.
“My daughter is now 16 and it might be harder to understand today but back then, in the early 2000s, I considered myself extremely fortunate to be so well supported during my pregnancy,” she said. Arianne was officially called to the bar while expecting her first child.
When she returned from her maternity leave, the Department supported her in completing her Juris Doctor, a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. When she returned, Arianne was as energized as a sleep-deprived young mom can be, ready to go and prove that the Department had invested wisely in her and that she had what it takes.
Over the next decade, Arianne did just that. She worked as lawyer at headquarters of the Department of Justice, tackling a variety of high-profile files. She regularly received strong performance reviews and, looking to her future, felt ready for something new.
Special advising
What is a special advisor?
A special advisor provides advice to a top decision maker at the department, often a director general or an assistant deputy minister. They advise on any file that crosses their desk, many of which are dynamic and evolving and could have a large impact on Canadians.
As she considered her next move, Arianne’s manager encouraged her to interview to be the special advisor for Lynn Lovett, then the Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) of the Tax Law Services Portfolio. Lynn was a notable person in the department, highly regarded for her work, and Arianne immediately felt the familiar creep of self-doubt seep in. This was not something she had done before and it was working in tax law, a subject matter with which she wasn’t familiar. Could she do it?
She got the job and was going to give it a shot.
“When you are a special advisor, things are coming your way fast and you got to manage them and decide which was you are bringing to the ADM and which you are taking care of yourself,” explained Arianne. “You are to be aware of everything and there are lots of adrenaline moments.”
Arianne came to appreciate that her natural abilities were more valuable than any specific tax knowledge that she could bring to the position. She questioned things, collaborated with others, and is a team player. But she certainly learnt a lot about tax law. She had a front seat to Lynn’s thinking on complex problems. It was rewarding every single day, but it was also difficult. She even found a career mentor in Anick Pelletier, a senior lawyer working with Lynn.
As Arianne’s family had grown and she had young children, finding time for them was the most important thing for her.
Despite enjoying it, she knew she would have to step away from this role and pivot to something with better balance.
Arianne had never worked outside of headquarters. The Department of Justice supplies lawyers to every department and agency of the Government of Canada, providing advice as part of what is known as a Legal Services Unit. Having now acquired knowledge and interest in tax law from her time working with Lynn, Arianne decided to make her next stop the Legal Services Unit for the Canada Revenue Agency. This was another rewarding experience and, while it was busy, she was able to better balance her family obligations.
Arianne’s tips:
- Believe in yourself and your capabilities: “Doubt is normal, it can even be healthy sometimes, but don’t get caught in it – remember your abilities are what brought you here. Be confident in them.”
- Step out of your comfort zone: “A career is a long time, and it can be easy to get comfortable in a specialization. Remember that there are all sorts of interesting positions out there and it is okay to try something new.”
- Support each other: “Be collaborative and a team player. Find a mentor, mentor others. We are all a team working in service of Canadians.”
But it wasn’t long before her mentor came knocking with a new opportunity.
Anick Pelletier was working in a senior role for the National Litigation Sector, the group responsible for the highest-profile legal cases in which Canada was involved. Anick asked if Arianne would consider being a special advisor again. This time, Arianne had more confidence in her skills but could still feel the pang of doubt. She had never been a litigator and now she was being asked to support the top litigators in the country. Her children were now older and Anick believed in her. She agreed to give it a try for four months.
One year later she was still there and flourishing.
Arianne’s success has changed the way the department thinks about staffing these positions and has reinforced her confidence in herself.
Giving back
Today, Arianne is a legal counsel in the Judicial Affairs section of the Department of Justice, providing legal and policy expertise in various areas surrounding the judiciary. She still gets that rush of adrenaline, as she is working with the Minister’s Office almost every day on fast-paced high-profile files that impact Canadians, but she also gets to work on longer projects– which are satisfying in a different way. Arianne is now able to be a mentor figure for many people in the department, notably women.
To help pass her lessons along and empower the next generation of professional women, Arianne volunteered to serve as co-chair of an Advisory Committee devoted to addressing issues faced by women working at the Department of Justice, notably during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout her career journey, Arianne Joanette-Peloquin regularly faced moments of doubt, but she learned that she needed to believe in herself and her capabilities and that she could overcome any challenges.
“I love that I got given opportunities based on my abilities and my strength of will,” she said. “If you give me a chance, I will give it my all.”
When her mentor Anick Pelletier was appointed to the Tax Court in 2022, Arianne stood in the Supreme Court building, surrounded by her legal heroes and mentors. Her life had come full circle from when stood in those same halls in the sixth grade, dreaming about being a lawyer, wondering if she had what it takes.
She had more than what it takes.
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