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

OTTAWA, ON, March 26, 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.

Bernard Larocque, Partner at Lavery, de Billy, LLP in Montréal, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montréal. Justice Larocque replaces Justice S. Bourque (Montréal), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective May 15, 2023.

Catherine Martel, Partner at Langlois Lawyers, LLP in Montréal, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montréal. Justice Martel replaces Justice P. Mayer (Montréal), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective June 18, 2023.

Patrick Ferland, Partner at LCM Attorneys Inc. in Montréal, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montréal. Justice Ferland replaces Justice J-F. Michaud (Montréal), who was appointed Associate Chief Justice on June 21, 2023. 

Luc Morin, Managing Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP in Montréal, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montréal. Justice Morin replaces Justice Y. Poirier (Montréal), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective July 21, 2023.

Quote

"I wish Justices Larocque, Martel, Ferland, and Morin every success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve Quebecers well as members of the Superior Court of Quebec."

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

Biographies

Justice Bernard Larocque grew up in Quebec City. He obtained a Bachelor of Law from Université Laval in 1994 and was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1995.

Justice Larocque joined the Montreal law firm Lavery, de Billy in 1998 and became a partner in 2003. He previously completed his articling and began his career with the firm De Grandpré, Godin (now known as De Grandpré Chait). His practice focused on civil litigation, including defamation, insurance law, class actions, and civil and professional liability. He has been involved in major class action and liability litigation and has frequently appeared before the courts—including the Supreme Court of Canada and the Court of Appeal of Quebec.

Justice Larocque is a regular speaker at conferences on a variety of subjects, including insurance law, civil liability, and civil procedure. He was a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the Litigation Counsel of America, and a member of the Canadian Bar Association. He was named "Lawyer of the Year" in Professional Liability in 2022 and 2024 by the Best Lawyers in Canada directory, and "Litigation Star" in 2023 by Benchmark Litigation. He has also been featured in Canadian Legal Lexpert DirectoryEXPERT for litigation and commercial insurance since 2018 and in the Best Lawyers in Canada for class actions, insurance law, and professional liability since 2012.

Justice Larocque is also involved in his community. In 2010, he joined the board of directors of Justice Pro Bono (formerly Pro Bono Québec), of which he has chaired since 2020. He has also been a director of the theater companies Les 2 Mondes and Théâtre I.N.K., and a member of committees of the Quebec Bar and the Bar of Montreal.

Justice Catherine Martel holds a Bachelor of Laws from the Université de Montréal. She was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1998.

Prior to her appointment, Justice Martel was a partner at Langlois Lawyers, where she practised commercial litigation. She was previously a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright (formerly Ogilvy Renault), where she practised law from 1998 to 2018. She was responsible for various knowledge management initiatives at both firms. She has extensive experience in Quebec civil law, commercial law, class actions, administrative and constitutional law, and energy law. She has appeared before all levels of Quebec courts, the Régie de l'énergie du Québec, and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Justice Martel has also acted as an arbitrator in commercial matters. She has been actively involved in the executive team of the Research and Knowledge Management section of the Canadian Bar Association, of which she was president in 2015–2017. She has given numerous conferences on a variety of topics, including good faith in the exercise of discretionary powers, class actions under the Securities Act and obligations in solidum. She is secretary of the board of directors of the Canadian Pain Foundation and has supported the Blue Metropolis Foundation for several years.

Justice Martel and her husband are the proud parents of a sixteen-year-old boy.

Justice Patrick Ferland received his law degree (B.C.L. and LL.B.) from the Faculty of Law of McGill University (1998). He is a member of the Quebec, New York, and Massachusetts Bars, and holds a Master's degree in Public Policy from the London School of Economics.

Justice Ferland was a founding partner of the law firm LCM Attorneys Inc. His practice covered many aspects of civil and commercial litigation, as well as public and administrative law. He has extensive expertise in international law, including issues of conflict of laws, jurisdiction of judicial authorities, and recognition of foreign arbitral awards and judgments. He has represented clients before all levels of court, including the Superior Court, the Court of Appeal of Quebec, the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal, as well as the Supreme Court of Canada.

Justice Ferland taught evidence law at the Faculty of Law of McGill University for many years, and is co-author of the "Droit international privé" chapter of the Collection de droit de l'École du Barreau du Québec. He has given numerous conferences, contributed to several books, and was called upon to take part in the work of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, which led to the adoption in 2019 of the International Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters.

Justice Luc Morin obtained his law degree (LL.B) from the Université de Montréal in 2003 and a masters degree (LL.M) from the same institution in 2007. He was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 2003.

Justice Morin spent the first 17 years of his career at Fasken, from student to partner. He joined Norton Rose Fulbright in 2017, where he was, until his appointment to the Superior Court of Quebec, Managing Partner of the Montreal Office and National Leader of the Restructuring and Insolvency Practice. During his career, Justice Morin's expertise in commercial restructuring and insolvency was recognized in various rankings (Chambers Canada, Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Best Lawyers in Canada, Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada, The Legal 500 Canada, Lexpert Special Edition : Canada's Leading Litigation Lawyers, International Financial Law Review 1000 Canada). 

Justice Morin was a member of the Insolvency Institute of Canada (IIC) and is the author of numerous articles cited by Courts of all levels.

Justice Morin is married to the Honourable Eleni Yiannakis, judge at the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montréal, and proud father of two teenage boys, Zacharia and Gabriel.

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada has appointed more than 705 judges since November 2015. This includes 81 appointments since the Honourable Arif Virani became 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

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]