Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces a judicial appointment in the Northwest Territories

OTTAWA, ON, July 24, 2024 /CNW/ - The Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment under the judicial application process established in 2016. This process emphasizes transparency, merit, and the diversity of the Canadian population, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.

Karin L.E. Taylor, Director of Legal Division at the Government of Northwest Territories in Yellowknife, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories in Yellowknife. Justice Taylor replaces Justice K. Shaner, who was elevated to the Court of Appeal of Alberta on June 20, 2024.

Quote

"I wish Justice Taylor every success as she takes on her new role. I am confident she will serve the public well as a member of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories."

—The Hon. Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Biography

Justice Karin L.E. Taylor earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Winnipeg in 2002 and an LL.B. from the University of New Brunswick in 2005. She was called to the bar in Nova Scotia in 2006.

Justice Taylor practiced law in the private sector before moving north to pursue an opportunity at Justice Canada's Northern Regional Office. She went on to practice at both the Northwest Territories Legal Aid Commission as a family lawyer and the Government of Northwest Territories as litigation counsel. She was appointed as Director of Legal Division for the Government of Northwest Territories in 2020. She enjoyed a varied legal practice with a focus on civil litigation and public sector law. She was lead counsel in a number of high-profile matters, including during the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and COVID-19 response.

Justice Taylor is the former member of the Canadian Bar Association's National Board of Directors and former President of the Northwest Territories Branch. She sat on the Executive of the Law Society of the Northwest Territories from 2018-2021. Most recently, she was Chair of the Territorial Access to Justice Committee. She has been involved as a volunteer for several non-profit organizations including Vice President of both the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) NWT and the Yellowknife Community Foundation. She is also an alumnus of the Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference. She is the recipient of the 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for contributions to her community.

Justice Taylor and her husband Joel are most often found at the cabin, chauffeuring their children around Yellowknife, and enjoying frozen dog walks.

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada has appointed more than 760 judges since November 2015. This includes 137 appointments since the Honourable Arif Virani became Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada on July 26, 2023, a pace of appointments that has no precedent in Canadian History. These exceptional jurists represent the diversity that strengthens Canada. Of these judges, more than half are women, and appointments reflect an increased representation of racialized persons, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+, and those who self-identify as having a disability.
  
  
• To support the needs of the courts and improve access to justice for all Canadians, the Government of Canada is committed to increasing the capacity of superior courts. Budget 2022 provides for 22 new judicial positions, along with two associate judges at the Tax Court of Canada. Along with the 13 positions created under Budget 2021, this makes a total of 37 newly created superior court positions. Since Budget 2017, the government has funded 116 new judicial positions.
  
  
• Changes to the Questionnaire for Federal Judicial Appointments were announced in September 2022. The questionnaire continues to provide for a robust and thorough assessment of candidates but has been streamlined and updated to incorporate, among other things, more respectful and inclusive language for individuals to self-identify diversity characteristics.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• The Government of Canada is committed to promoting a justice system in which sexual assault matters are decided fairly, without the influence of myths and stereotypes, and in which survivors are treated with dignity and compassion. Changes to the Judges Act and Criminal Code that came into force on May 6, 2021, mean that in order to be eligible for appointment to a provincial superior court, candidates must agree to participate in continuing education on matters related to sexual assault law and social context, which includes systemic racism and systemic discrimination. The new legislation enhances the transparency of decisions by amending the Criminal Code to require that judges provide written reasons, or enter them into the record, when deciding sexual assault matters.

SOURCE Department of Justice Canada

Contacts: For more information, media may contact: Chantalle Aubertin, Deputy Director, Communications, Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, 613-992-6568, [email protected]; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]