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

OTTAWA, ON, June 1, 2023 /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.

The Honourable Lori Renée Weitzman, a Judge of the Court of Quebec in Montréal, is appointed a puisne Judge of the Court of Appeal of Quebec in Montréal. Justice Weitzman replaces Justice L. Fournier, who passed away July 6, 2022.

Quote

""I wish Justice Weitzman every success as she takes on her new role. I am confident she will serve the people of Quebec well as a member of the Court of Appeal."

—The Hon. David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Biography

Justice Lori Renée Weitzman received her Civil Law degree in 1984 and her Common Law degree in 1985, both from McGill University. She also holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University, received in 1987. Before her appointment to the bench, she was a member of the Quebec bar and of the New York bar, where she had practised corporate law before moving back to Montréal.

Justice Weitzman was appointed to the Quebec Court, Criminal Division, in 2010. She was a Crown prosecutor in Montréal from 1987 to 2010 and specialized in the prosecution of sexual assault and homicide cases. She then worked at the appellate level, before the Quebec Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. From 1994 to 2008, she taught courses in Sentencing and Trial Advocacy at McGill University.

From 2013 to 2016, Justice Weitzman was responsible for the New Judges Education Program, an annual week-long conference organized by the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges. She also participated in the National Judicial Institute's (NJI) annual criminal law program for federally appointed judges during their first five years on the bench. In 2016, she became a member of the planning committee of the NJI's annual Criminal Law seminar. She also sat on the Quebec Professions Tribunal beginning in 2019 and was a member of the Conseil de la magistrature du Québec.

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada has appointed more than 615 judges 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, 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

media may contact: Diana Ebadi, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Justice, 343-574-3446, [email protected]; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]