Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces a judicial appointment in the province of Prince Edward Island

OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 10, 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.

Sophie MacDonald, K.C., Partner at Stewart McKelvey in Charlottetown, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown. Justice MacDonald replaces Justice T.A. MacPherson (Charlottetown), who resigned effective July 13, 2023.

Quote

"I wish Justice MacDonald every success as she takes on her new role. I am confident she will serve the people of Prince Edward Island well as a member of the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island."

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

Biography

Justice Sophie MacDonald is fluent in French and English. She earned her Civil Law Degree at the Université de Montréal in 1998 and her Common Law Degree at the Université de Moncton in 1999. She was called to the Prince Edward Island bar in 2000 and to the Ontario bar in 2003. She was appointed King's Counsel in 2020.

Justice MacDonald articled and practiced with the Charlottetown office of Cox Hanson O'Reilly Matheson (later Matheson & Murray and Key Murray Law). In 2016, she joined the law firm of Stewart Mckelvey and joined the partnership in 2020. She maintained a litigation practice, with her primary area being Family Law.

Throughout her career, Justice MacDonald was an active volunteer within her legal community. She served as President of the Prince Edward Island Branch Canadian Bar Association. She was Chair of one of the Law Society Discipline Committee and was a member of the Continuing Legal Education Committee. She was a member of the Prince Edward Island Access to Justice Committee, and she was the Law Society of Prince Edward Island representative at the National Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Law. Her volunteer interests also extended to the French community, having served on the Board of Directors of the Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité, Île-du-Prince-Édouard, and the Chambre de commerce acadienne et francophone de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard.

Justice MacDonald lives in Stratford with her husband and her three children.

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada has appointed more than 655 judges since November 2015. The Honourable Arif Virani has made 30 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

Contacts: 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]