Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces a judicial appointment to the Federal Court

OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 6, 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.

Michael D. Crinson, Partner at Crinson Law LLP in Toronto, is appointed an associate judge of the Federal Court.  

Quote

"I wish Associate Justice Crinson every success as he takes on his new role. I am confident he will serve Canadians well as a member of the Federal Court."

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

Biography

Associate Justice Michael Crinson was born and raised in Stockton-on-Tees in North East England. He attended the University of Dundee, Scotland, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree (with Honours) in Biochemistry in 1988. After a time working in the pharmaceutical industry, he moved to Canada to attend the University of Guelph, where he received a Master of Science degree in Physics in 1991.

Associate Justice Crinson received his LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1997, articled with Scott & Aylen, and was called to the Ontario bar in 1999. While he was also a registered patent and trademark agent, his practice focused on contentious intellectual property matters, including patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, and ownership and inventorship disputes. He has been trial counsel on numerous contentious IP matters in a wide variety of technical areas, including medical devices, forestry equipment, pharmaceuticals, the food industry, electrical engineering, polymer chemistry and biotechnology, particularly genetically modified plant material.

Associate Justice Crinson has contributed to, and actively participated in, community organizations and legal associations, including the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, the Canadian Bar Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Law Society of Ontario and the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada. He has received accolades from his clients and peers alike in respected publications, including IAM Patent 1000, The Legal 500, Best Lawyers in Canada and Martindale-Hubbell, which describes him as a "distinguished" practitioner.

Quick Facts

• At the Superior Court level, more than 580 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, 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, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Justice, 613-992-6568, [email protected]; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]