Government of Canada announces a judicial appointment in the province of Nova Scotia
News release
May 14, 2020 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Justice Canada
The Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment under the judicial application process established in 2016. This process emphasizes transparency, merit, and diversity, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.
Diane Rowe, Senior Solicitor at the Nova Scotia Department of Justice in Halifax, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. Justice Rowe replaces Madam Justice M. Lynch (Bridgewater), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective March 1, 2020.
Biography
Justice Diane Rowe graduated from the University of New Brunswick’s Faculty of Law in 1997. She was admitted to the Nova Scotia Bar in 1998 and the Newfoundland and Labrador Bar in 2001. She has a deep commitment to public service, justice, and equality.
Justice Rowe was a Senior Solicitor with the Nova Scotia Department of Justice, where she advised the Office of Aboriginal Affairs and the Made-in-Nova Scotia Process. Her practice areas included Aboriginal, administrative, corporate commercial, natural resources, bankruptcy and insolvency, and construction law. She has advised several government departments and Crown corporations on significant public initiatives. Before joining the Nova Scotia Department of Justice in 2002, Justice Rowe practised general civil litigation and acted on behalf of Indian Residential School claimants in several provinces in mass tort litigation.
Justice Rowe has engaged in volunteer advocacy work on behalf of Indigenous peoples, equality rights, refugee claimants, and the LGBTQ community. She is Anishinaabe Two-Spirit. As a Sixties Scoop child, she was sent to Newfoundland. Justice Rowe was formally welcomed into her spouse’s family and community as a member of the Micmacs of Gesgapegiag Band, in Gespe’ge’wagi, the seventh district of Mi’kma’ki.
Justice Rowe and her spouse, Jessica Jerome, a visual artist, have two children.
Quick facts
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At the Superior Court level, more than 350 judges have been appointed since November 2015. These exceptional jurists represent the diversity that strengthens Canada. Of these judges, more than half are women, and appointments reflect an increased representation of visible minorities, Indigenous, LGBTQ2S, and those who self-identify as having a disability.
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The Government of Canada is committed to promoting access to justice for all Canadians. To improve outcomes for Canadian families, Budget 2018 provides funding of $77.2 million over four years to support the expansion of unified family courts, beginning in 2019-2020. This investment in the family justice system will create 39 new judicial positions in Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
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In addition, Budget 2018 provides funding for a further seven judicial positions in Saskatchewan and Ontario, at a cost of $17.1 million over five years.
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Federal judicial appointments are made by the Governor General, acting on the advice of the federal Cabinet and recommendations from the Minister of Justice.
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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.
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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.
Contacts
For more information, media may contact:
Rachel Rappaport
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice
613-992-6568
rachel.rappaport@justice.gc.ca
Media Relations
Department of Justice Canada
613-957-4207
media@justice.gc.ca
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