Government of Canada announces judicial appointment in the province of British Columbia

September 29, 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.

E. David Crossin, Q.C., a partner at Sugden, McFee & Roos LLP, is appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Vancouver. He replaces Madam Justice L.D. Russell, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective August 20, 2017.

Biography

Called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1977, Mr. Justice E. David Crossin practised law for four decades. From 2007 until his appointment to the judiciary, he was a partner with Sugden, McFee & Roos LLP. His work focused on criminal law, with additional experience in civil and commercial litigation and administrative law. He holds a B.A. from Simon Fraser University and an LL.B. from the University of British Columbia. While still in school, Justice Crossin drove a taxi and worked in the logging industry along the British Columbia coast.

Throughout his career, Justice Crossin has been involved in organizations that play a vital role in the justice system. He is a former Bencher and former President of the Law Society of British Columbia. He also served as Board Member and Chair of the Legal Services Society, which provides legal aid services to low-income British Columbians. Most recently, Justice Crossin served on the Executive Committee of Access to Justice British Columbia from 2015 to 2017.

In recognition of his accomplishments as a litigator, Justice Crossin was named a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers.

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

Quick Facts

• Budget 2017 includes 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 have been 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.
• 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 15 jurisdictions have been reconstituted. Most recently, Minister Wilson-Raybould announced the composition of five new Judicial Advisory Committees on June 28, 2017.
• This process is separate from the Supreme Court of Canada judicial appointment process opened on July 14, 2017. Nominees to the Supreme Court of Canada are selected by the Prime Minister from a thoroughly vetted list of candidates.

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