Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday nominated Glenn Joyal, the long-time Chief Justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba, to the Supreme Court of Canada.

The legal community had widely expected Chief Justice Joyal to be named to the top court after Supreme Court Justice Sheilah Martin announced her retirement in January.

Chief Justice Joyal, in his mid-60s, had previously applied for a seat on the Supreme Court’s bench. This time, experts picked him as the obvious front-runner should he choose to apply again.

“Throughout his career, Chief Justice Joyal has demonstrated the integrity, experience, and sound judgment that service on our highest court demands,” Mr. Carney said in a statement.

While Ottawa described Chief Justice Joyal as “the nominee” to the Supreme Court, Canada’s appointment system is not like that in the United States, where the Senate can reject a top court candidate. Mr. Carney has sole discretion on the choice.

MPs and senators will have a question-and-answer session with Chief Justice Joyal, though under the federal protocol, they are only allowed to ask benign questions and a moderator will steer them away from any probing queries. A date for the session was not announced.