Government of Canada announces judicial appointments in the province of Quebec

May 4, 2017 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Justice Canada  

The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments under the new judicial application process announced on October 20, 2016. The new process emphasizes transparency, merit, and diversity, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity. 

Karen M. Rogers, a partner with the firm Langlois Avocats, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec, district of Montreal. She fills a new judicial position created by Bill C-31. 

Christine Baudouin, a lawyer with the firm Casavant Mercier Avocats, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec, district of Montreal. She replaces Mr. Justice M. De Wever, who elected supernumerary status effective November 7, 2016. 

Frédéric Bachand, Ad. E., an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, McGill University, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec, district of Montreal. He replaces Madam Justice S. DeVito, who elected supernumerary status effective December 6, 2016. 

Daniel Royer, a Crown prosecutor with the office of the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec, district of Montreal. He replaces Madam Justice P.G. Capriolo, who elected supernumerary status effective December 14, 2016. 

Biographies 

Madam Justice Karen M. Rogers brings over 28 years of litigation experience to her new role. Raised in an Anglophone family in Quebec City, she received her law degree from Université Laval. Since being called to the bar, she has practised primarily in civil and commercial litigation, developing strong expertise in professional liability and discipline. Before her appointment to the judiciary, she led the litigation group at the firm Langlois Avocats. Madam Justice Rogers has contributed to the legal profession as a member of the Barreau du Québec’s discipline and arbitration committees. She also taught at l’École du Barreau for nearly a decade. As a member of the Association of Quebec Women in Finance, she serves as a mentor to young women. Madam Justice Rogers is also an active member of a fundraising team that supports the Jewish General Hospital and its research into women’s cancers.

Excerpts from Madam Justice Rogers’s judicial application will be available shortly.

Madam Justice Christine Baudouin holds an LL.B. from the University of Montreal and an LL.M. specializing in bioethics from McGill University. Called to the bar in 1993, she has practised litigation as an associate and a partner with several firms, including Heenan Blaikie (1997-2009) and Casavant Mercier Avocats (from 2010 to her appointment to the judiciary). Her fields of practice included civil law, health law, administrative law, and labour and employment law. Madam Justice Baudouin has contributed her expertise in bioethics to the public good by serving on the Ethics Committee of the Montreal West Island Integrated University Health and Social Services Centre and the Research Ethics Committee of McGill University. In addition, she is involved with charities that address autism, women’s health, and other causes. For instance, she contributes to the work of the Montreal Diet Dispensary, a community organization that offers nutritional and social support to pregnant women in need.

Excerpts from Madam Justice Baudouin’s judicial application will be available shortly.

Mr. Justice Frédéric Bachand holds doctorates from the Université de Montréal and the Université Panthéon-Assas, in addition to an LL.M. from the University of Cambridge and an LL.B. from the Université de Montréal. He began his legal career with the firm of Ogilvy Renault and at the Supreme Court of Canada, where he clerked for Justice Gérard La Forest. In 2003, he joined the Faculty of Law at McGill University, where he taught legal interpretation, alternative dispute resolution, and evidence, among other subjects. His scholarship focuses primarily on domestic and international arbitration. In parallel with his academic career, Mr. Justice Bachand has served as an accredited arbitrator in both domestic and international cases. He has contributed his time to numerous organizations, including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, where he served on the board. In recognition of his contributions to the law and to legal education, he was named Advocatus Emeritus (Ad. E.) by the Barreau du Québec and received the John W. Durnford Teaching Excellence Award at McGill University.

Excerpts from Mr. Justice Bachand’s judicial application will be available shortly.

An experienced criminal lawyer, Mr. Justice Daniel Royer has exclusively practised criminal and penal law since his call to the bar in 1996. After earning a B.A. from Université Laval and an LL.B. from the Université de Sherbrooke, he practised for 15 years as defence counsel with the firm of Labelle, Boudrault, Côté and Associates. From 2011 until his appointment to the judiciary, he practised as a Crown prosecutor in the Longueuil and Montreal offices of the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions. In the course of his career, he argued over one hundred criminal appeals before the Quebec Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. Justice Royer is committed to legal education and to making the criminal justice system more accessible. He has taught criminal law and evidence at O’Sullivan College of Montreal, in addition to teaching a course linked to the Gale Cup moot at the Université de Montréal.

Excerpts from Mr. Justice Royer’s judicial application will be available shortly. 

Quick Facts 

• Budget 2017 proposes additional funding of $55 million over five years beginning in 2017-2018 and $15.5 million per year thereafter for 28 new federally-appointed judges. Of these new positions, 12 would be allotted to Alberta and one to the Yukon, with the remaining 15 being assigned to a pool for needs in other jurisdictions.

• To ensure a judiciary that is responsive, ethical and sensitive to the evolving needs of Canadian society, the Canadian Judicial Council will receive $2.7 million over five years and $0.5 million ongoing thereafter. This will support programming on judicial education, ethics and conduct, including in relation to gender and cultural sensitivity.

• Today’s appointments are separate from the Budget 2017 announcement.

• 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 Judicial Advisory Committees in ten jurisdictions have been reconstituted. Most recently, Minister Wilson-Raybould announced the composition of three new Judicial Advisory Committees on April 13, 2017.

• This process is separate from the Supreme Court of Canada judicial appointment process announced on August 2, 2016. Nominees to the Supreme Court of Canada are selected by the Prime Minister from a thoroughly vetted list of candidates.