Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces a judicial appointment in the province of Ontario Français
OTTAWA, ON, March 24, 2021 /CNW/ - The Honourable David Lametti, 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.
Mohan Sharma, Executive Legal Officer at the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Toronto, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario. Mr. Justice Sharma replaces Mr. Justice L. Sossin (Toronto), who was elevated to the Court of Appeal effective November 24, 2020.
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"I wish Justice Sharma every success as he takes on his new role. I am confident he will serve Ontarians well as a judge of the Superior Court."
—The Hon. David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Biography
Justice Mohan Sharma received a B.A. from the University of Toronto and an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School. He was called to the Bar in Ontario in 1999.
At the time of his appointment, Mr. Justice Sharma was the Executive Legal Officer for the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario, providing legal and policy advice to the Court's judges; he was also Senior Counsel in the Office of the Chief Justice. He has held a variety of legal and policy positions. He served as the Ministry of the Attorney General's Counsel in Residence at the Law Commission of Ontario, as the Project Director to the Civil Justice Reform Project led by the Honourable Coulter Osborne, and as Research Counsel to the Task Force on the Discovery Process in Ontario. Justice Sharma also served as Policy Counsel within the Court Services Division and as Advisory Counsel in the Crown Law Office-Civil, both within the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General. Prior to joining government, he had been an associate at WeirFoulds LLP, articled at Scott & Aylen, and worked as a student and lawyer at Parkdale Community Legal Services.
Justice Sharma was a founder of the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, and has been active in fundraising events to support HIV/AIDS relief in Canada and Africa, the Nikibasika Child Development Program in Uganda, and Diabetes Canada.
Justice Sharma is of Indian and Danish descent and lives with his husband and two children.
Quick Facts
- At the Superior Court level, more than 440 judges have been appointed since November 2015. These exceptional jurists represent the diversity that strengthens Canada. Of these judges, more than half are women, and appointments reflect an increased representation of visible minorities, Indigenous, LGBTQ2+, and those who self-identify as having a disability.
- The Government of Canada is committed to promoting access to justice for all Canadians. To improve outcomes for Canadian families, Budget 2018 provides funding of $77.2 million over four years to support the expansion of unified family courts, beginning in 2019-2020. This investment in the family justice system will create 39 new judicial positions in Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
- 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.
SOURCE Department of Justice Canada
media may contact: Rachel Rappaport, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Justice, 613-992-6568, [email protected]; Media Relations: Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]
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