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

OTTAWA, ON, March 7, 2025 /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 Mohammed M. Rahman, a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Brampton, is appointed a Judge of the Court of Appeal for Ontario in Toronto. Justice Rahman replaces Justice K. van Rensburg, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective December 31, 2024.

The Honourable Maria N. Sirivar, a Judge of the Ontario Court of Justice in Ottawa, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Ottawa. Justice Sirivar replaces Justice J.S. Corkery (Peterborough), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective December 16, 2024. Due to internal court transfers by the Chief Justice, the vacancy is located in Ottawa.

Quote

"I wish Justices Rahman and Sirivar every success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve Ontarians well as members of the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario". 

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

Biographies

Justice Mohammed M. Rahman graduated with a B.A. from the University of Prince Edward Island in 1993 and an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1996. He was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1998.

Prior to his appointment to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in 2022, Justice Rahman served as a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice to which he was appointed in 2016. Earlier that year, he had joined the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General's Crown Law Office – Criminal. Previously, he had spent over 18 years as a federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice Canada and the Public Prosecution Service of Canada. Throughout his career as a prosecutor, he appeared at all levels of court in Ontario, conducting both trials and appeals.

Justice Rahman was on the adjunct faculty at Osgoode Hall Law School. In 2013, he received the Mentor of the Year award from Osgoode Hall's Alumni Association.

Justice Maria N. Sirivar was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to Ugandan parents and raised in Ottawa. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Western Ontario and an Honours Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business. She completed a LLB at Osgoode Hall Law School and was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 2007.

Justice Sirivar started her legal career in commercial litigation at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. She was an associate at Adair Morse LLP before opening her practice, which focused on employment and family law. In this capacity, she acted as an agent for the Office of the Children's Lawyer and as duty counsel in Halton Region. She was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice in 2018 and was assigned to the Toronto Family and Youth Court at 311 Jarvis Street. In 2023, she was transferred to Ottawa, where she presided over criminal matters in both English and French.

Justice Sirivar was a frequent speaker at conferences for both lawyers and judges, acted as the Local Administrative Judge at 311 Jarvis, served on the board of the Ontario Association of Judges, and was a member and chair of several committees for the court and the association.

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada has appointed more than 860 judges since November 2015. This includes 234 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 provided 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]