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

News release

November 19, 2020 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Justice Canada  

The Honourable David Lametti, 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.

Michelle Boudreau-Dumas, Family Solicitor at the New Brunswick Legal Aid Services Commission in Campbellton, is appointed a Judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench of New Brunswick, Family Division. Madam Justice Boudreau-Dumas replaces Mr. Justice M.A. Robichaud (Bathurst), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective November 19, 2019.

Kathryn Gregory, Q.C., Crown Prosecutor for the Office of the Attorney General of New Brunswick in Fredericton, is appointed a Judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench of New Brunswick, Trial Division. Madam Justice Gregory replaces Madam Justice J.L. Clendening (Fredericton), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective May 15, 2020. The Chief Justice has transferred Mr. Justice T.C. Christie (Saint John) into this vacancy, therefore the vacancy is located in Saint John.

Quote

 “I wish Justices Boudreau-Dumas and Gregory continued success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve New Brunswickers well as members of the Court of Queen’s Bench.”

—The Hon. David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Biographies

Justice Michelle Boudreau-Dumas is from Cocagne, New Brunswick. She received her LL.B. from Université de Moncton in 1991 and was called to the Law Society of New Brunswick in 1992.

Madam Justice Boudreau-Dumas is fluently bilingual and practised law with the New Brunswick Legal Aid Services Commission since 2001 as a family law attorney. Prior to holding this position, she was in private practice, working in the areas of family law, real estate law, and estate law. She lives in Balmoral, where she established her practice with her husband from 1996 to 2001 in the law firm of Guy Dumas. She also has training in mediation and collaborative law.

Justice Boudreau-Dumas has served as a speaker at information sessions for the public and her colleagues at the Commission. She has served on the CBA New Brunswick Family Law Advisory Committee and Professional Development Committee. She also actively participated in the working group on access to family justice established by the New Brunswick Minister of Justice in 2009. She has been deeply involved in combatting domestic violence in the Restigouche region and has been an advisor to and executive director of the boards of directors for Notre-Dame House and Restigouche Family Services.

The proud mother of three children, Justice Boudreau-Dumas has been a member and chair of the parents’ committee of Domaine des copains school.

Justice Kathryn Gregory, Q.C., was born and raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick. She attended the University of New Brunswick, obtaining her Bachelor of Arts degree, with Honours. She also earned a Master of Arts in legal philosophy at Queen's University in Kingston and a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall in Toronto.

Madam Justice Gregory began her legal career in private practice in Fredericton at the boutique firm of Athey, Gregory & Dickson. She had a general practice for six years until 2003, when she became a Crown prosecutor with New Brunswick Public Prosecution Services. Her years in private practice and in prosecutions have given her extensive experience in civil and criminal litigation, including family, contract, employment, tort, and insurance law. Since 2014, Justice Gregory has worked as the Appeals and Education Crown counsel handling all criminal appeals to the New Brunswick Court of Appeal, with numerous appearances at the Supreme Court of Canada. In 2017, she was appointed Queen's Counsel.

Justice Gregory has been an adjunct professor at the University of New Brunswick Law School. She has also lectured at St. Thomas University, served as a panelist for the National Judicial Institute, and been a frequent guest speaker for a variety of organizations. She is a member of the Complaints Committee of the New Brunswick Law Society and a board member of Jobs Unlimited, which assists those with intellectual disadvantages. She is an avid volunteer and player of the game of cricket in New Brunswick.

Justice Gregory lives in Fredericton with her partner, Mark Outar, and is mother to Alexa and step-mother to Sebastien and Jayda.

Quick facts

  • At the Superior Court level, more than 415 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

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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