Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces a judicial appointment in the province of Ontario

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 18, 2023 /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.

Nathalie Des Rosiers, Principal at Massey College in Toronto, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Toronto. Justice Desrosiers fills one of the two remaining positions authorized further to the Budget Implementation Act, 2022, No. 1.

Quote

"I wish Justice Des Rosiers every success as she takes on her new role. I am confident she will serve Ontarians well as a member of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario."

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

Biography

Justice Nathalie Des Rosiers was the Principal of Massey College since August 2019, cross appointed to the Faculty of Law of University of Toronto and a Senior Fellow of Trinity College.   

Justice Des Rosiers was Dean of Law at Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa (Common Law, (2013 -2016) et Droit civil (2004-2008)). She also served as General Counsel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (2009-2013), Interim Vice-President, Governance, University of Ottawa (2008-2009), and President of the Law Commission of Canada (2000-2004). From 2016 to 2019, she represented the riding of Ottawa-Vanier in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and was Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry (from Jan 2018 – Jun 2018). Justice Des Rosiers co-edited the Oxford Handbook of Canadian Constitutional Law (2017) with Peter Oliver and Patrick Macklem. She also wrote with Louise Langevin and Marie-Pier Nadeau, L'indemnisation des victimes de violence sexuelle et conjugale (Prix Walter Owen, 2014).

Justice Des Rosiers has received the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario, honorary doctorates from Université UCL (Belgium) and the Law Society of Ontario, le Prix Christine Tourigny (Barreau du Québec), and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada has appointed more than 680 judges since November 2015. The Honourable Arif Virani has made 54 appointments since becoming Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada on July 26, 2023. 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

Chantalle Aubertin, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Justice, 613-992-6568, [email protected]; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]