Government of Canada announces judicial appointment in the province of Ontario

June 14, 2017 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Justice Canada  

The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment 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. 

Chris de Sa, Crown counsel with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in and for the Province of Ontario in Newmarket. He replaces Madam Justice C. Gilmore (Newmarket), who has been transferred by the Chief Justice to Toronto to replace Mr. Justice K. Whitaker, who retired effective May 13, 2016. The vacancy is therefore located in Newmarket.

Biography

Justice Chris de Sa received his B.A. from York University and his LL.B. and M.B.A. from the University of Toronto. While in law school, he was a research assistant to Professor Kent Roach, one of Canada’s foremost experts in criminal and constitutional law. Justice de Sa articled and practised civil litigation at two large firms before joining the Department of Justice Canada as extradition counsel in 2002. In 2004, he became Crown counsel with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada. His work has included large-scale investigations and prosecutions, as well as criminal appeals before the Ontario Court of Appeal. In addition, he has published academic papers on issues related to evidence and criminal law, including entrapment and informant privilege.

Justice de Sa was born and raised in Scarborough. His parents, both of South Asian descent, immigrated to Canada from Kenya and both worked in the justice sector. From them, Justice de Sa inherited a deep-seated commitment to hard work, public service, fairness, and compassion. He lives with his young family outside of Toronto, where he coaches youth soccer and volunteers at his church on a weekly basis.

Excerpts from Justice de Sa’s judicial application will be made 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.

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