OTTAWA, Oct. 27, 2017 /CNW/ - The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment under the new judicial application process announced on October 20, 2016. The new process emphasizes transparency, merit, and diversity, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.
The Honourable Myriam Lachance, a judge of the Court of Quebec, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montreal. She fills a new position authorized under Bill C-44, the Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 1.
Biography
Madam Justice Myriam Lachance was appointed a judge of the Criminal and Penal Division of the Court of Quebec in the district of Montreal in January 2014. She joined the team in the Special Penal Cases Division of the Court of Quebec upon its creation in 2014, and has been responsible for judicial education within the Division since 2016.
Before her appointment, Justice Lachance practised in the areas of criminal law, disciplinary law and professional ethics, and internal police investigations. She acted both for the defence and the prosecution, serving as an agent for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada and as a prosecutor for the Attorney General of Quebec. She taught constitutional rights at the graduate level at the Université de Sherbrooke and taught criminal law at both the École du Barreau and the programme des Techniques policières at the Cégep de Sherbrooke.
Originally from Sherbrooke, where she earned an LL.B. at the Université de Sherbrooke, Justice Lachance was deeply involved in her region's legal community. In particular, she served as bâtonnière of the Barreau de St-François (2009-2010) and served on the board of the Association des avocats et avocates de province (2011-2014). She also served on the executive of the Association québécoise des avocats et avocates de la défense (2005-2012). She has lectured extensively for the Barreau du Québec on topics including police powers and duties and constitutional rights.
Excerpts from Justice Lachance's judicial application will be available shortly.
Quick Facts
- Budget 2017 includes additional funding of $55 million over five years beginning in 2017-2018 and $15.5 million per year thereafter for 28 new federally appointed judges. Of these new positions, 12 have been allotted to Alberta and one to the Yukon, with the remaining 15 being assigned to a pool for needs in other jurisdictions.
- To ensure a judiciary that is responsive, ethical and sensitive to the evolving needs of Canadian society, the Canadian Judicial Council will receive $2.7 million over five years and $0.5 million ongoing thereafter. This will support programming on judicial education, ethics and conduct, including in relation to gender and cultural sensitivity.
- Federal judicial appointments are made by the Governor General, acting on the advice of the federal Cabinet and recommendations from the Minister of Justice.
- The Judicial Advisory Committees across Canada play a key role in evaluating judicial applications. There are 17 Judicial Advisory Committees, with each province and territory represented.
- Significant reforms to the role and structure of the Judicial Advisory Committees, aimed at enhancing the independence and transparency of the process, were announced on October 20, 2016. Sixteen Judicial Advisory Committees have been reconstituted to date.
- This process is separate from the Supreme Court of Canada judicial appointment process currently under way. Nominees to the Supreme Court of Canada are selected by the Prime Minister from a thoroughly vetted list of candidates.
SOURCE Department of Justice Canada
Kathleen Davis, Communications and Parliamentary Affairs Advisor, Office of the Minister of Justice, 613-992-4621; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]
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