Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces judicial appointments in the province of New Brunswick

OTTAWA, ON, July 24, 2024 /CNW/ - The Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments 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 Ivan Robichaud, a Judge of the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick, Trial Division, in Bathurst, is appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick. Justice Robichaud replaces Justice R.T. French, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective April 10, 2024.

The Honourable Marco R. Cloutier, Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of New Brunswick in Saint John, is appointed a Judge of the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick, Trial Division, in Edmundston. Justice Cloutier replaces Justice Z. Dionne (Edmundston), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective January 8, 2023.

The Honourable Cameron H. Gunn, a Judge of the Provincial Court of New Brunswick in Fredericton, is appointed a Judge of the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick, Trial Division, in Woodstock. Justice Gunn replaces Justice T.J. Morrison (Fredericton), who elected to become a supernumerary Judge effective December 11, 2023.  Due to internal court transfers by the Chief Justice, the vacancy is located in Woodstock.  

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"I wish Justices Robichaud, Cloutier, and Gunn every success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve the people of New Brunswick well as members of the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick and the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick". 

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

Biographies

Justice Ivan Robichaud was appointed to the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick in 2018. He received a Bachelor of Fisheries Management from the Shippagan campus of Université de Moncton, followed by a Bachelor of Laws from the Moncton campus of the same university in 1986. He was called to the Law Society of New Brunswick in 1987.

Prior to his appointment to the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick, Justice Robichaud was a partner with Robichaud Guignard Gauvin in Shippagan where he practised throughout his legal career in various areas of law. He appeared before the Provincial Court of New Brunswick, the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick, and the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick, in addition to acting as an adjudicator for the New Brunswick Small Claims Court. He was appointed King's Counsel in 2005.

Justice Marco R. Cloutier was born and raised in Edmundston. He received a Bachelor of Secondary Education with a major in French from the Université de Moncton in 1994. In 1997, the same university awarded him a Bachelor of Laws degree. He was called to the New Brunswick Bar in 1998.

Justice Cloutier was appointed Judge of the Provincial Court of New Brunswick in Saint John on January 30, 2013, and became Associate Chief Justice on March 11, 2021. On September 21, 2021, he was appointed Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of New Brunswick. Prior to his appointment to the Provincial Court of New Brunswick in 2013, he was a lawyer with Kenny & Murray (1998 to 1999) and Allen Dixon Bell (1999 to 2000), before joining McInnes Cooper in May 2020, where he became a partner. His main areas of practice were civil and criminal litigation.

Justice Cloutier has a fervent passion for writing, and as soon as he was appointed Juge of the Provincial Court, he published several decisions in both official languages.

Justice Cloutier lives in Saint John with his wife, and they draw daily inspiration from their three wonderful children.

Justice Cameron H. Gunn was born in Miramichi, New Brunswick. He obtained his Bachelor of Education in 1989 and his LL.B. in 1993, both from the University of New Brunswick. He was called to both the Nova Scotia and the New Brunswick bar in 1994.

Justice Gunn was appointed to the Provincial Court of New Brunswick in 2019. Prior to his appointment to the Provincial Court, he had been the Executive Director of Public Prosecution Services for the New Brunswick Office of the Attorney General. As a prosecutor he appeared at all levels of court and practiced extensively before the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick. He was appointed King's counsel in 2013.

Justice Gunn has been active in education and mentorship, having been a faculty member of the Federation of Law Societies National Criminal Law Program since 2008, a frequent presenter for the National Judicial Institute and the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges, and a speaker at various continuing professional development programs. He was a lecturer in criminal law at the University of New Brunswick, Faculty of Law, having created and taught a course on the prosecution and defence of homicide. 

Justice Gunn is the author of BEN & ME: From Temperance to Humility – Stumbling Through Ben Franklin's Thirteen Virtues, One Unvirtuous Day at a Time, released by Penguin Books in 2010 and the co-author, along with Patrick McGuinty and Mona Duckett, K.C. of Witness Preparation, Presentation, and Assessment released by Emond Publishing in 2022.

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada has appointed more than 760 judges since November 2015. This includes 137 appointments since the Honourable Arif Virani became Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada on July 26, 2023, a pace of appointments that has no precedent in Canadian History. 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: For more information, media may contact: Chantalle Aubertin, Deputy Director, Communications, Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, 613-992-6568, [email protected]; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]