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

News release

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

May 26, 2021 – 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.

Pierre A. Béliveau, counsel at Marceau & Boudreau Avocats in Blainville, is appointed a puisne Judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montréal. Mr. Justice Béliveau replaces Mr. Justice F. Bachand (Montréal), who was elevated to the Court of Appeal effective November 18, 2020.

Marie-Claude Rigaud, professor of law at the Université de Montréal, is appointed a puisne Judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montréal. Madam Justice Rigaud replaces Madam Justice M. Gaudreau (Montréal), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective December 17, 2020.

Quote

“I wish Justices Béliveau and Rigaud every success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve the people of Québec well as members of the Superior Court.”

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

Biographies

Justice Pierre A. Béliveau earned an LL.B. from Université de Montréal in 1989 and was called to the Barreau du Québec in 1991.

After articling with the Department of Justice Canada, Mr. Justice Béliveau pursued a career in private practice in the Laurentides region. At the time of his appointment, he had been the director of the family law division of Marceau & Boudreau Avocats since 2015.

During his career as a lawyer, Justice Béliveau appeared in numerous cases before the Superior Court and the Court of Appeal of Quebec, mainly in family matters, but also in civil matters. He taught family law at the École du Barreau from 2012 until his appointment. Following his call to the Barreau, Justice Béliveau completed his training in family mediation and was among the first lawyers to act as mediator in the Laurentides region. He was also a member of the Barreau du Québec’s Comité sur l’arbitrage des comptes d’honoraires des avocats since 2010.

Madam Justice Marie-Claude Rigaud was born in Paris. She is a graduate of the Faculty of Law, McGill University (B.C.L., LL.B.), and of the Faculty of Law, Université Paris-Est Créteil (Paris-XII), which awarded her a Doctor of Laws degree (summa cum laude) for her thesis on transnational arbitration proceedings. She has been a member of the Barreau du Québec since 2003 and was a member of the Law Society of Ontario from 1995 to 2015.

Madam Justice Rigaud articled with the Office of the Children’s Lawyer, in the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, and then worked for many years in the fields of immigration law and dispute resolution in Toronto, Zurich and then Montréal before devoting herself to teaching and research. At the time of her appointment, Justice Rigaud had been a professor in the Faculty of Law, Université de Montréal, since 2010. She has also served as faculty secretary and associate dean for external affairs and communications, and most recently as associate secretary general for equity, diversity, inclusion and First Peoples relations.

Justice Rigaud’s research and various publications focus on dispute prevention and resolution methods, as well as professional ethics and conduct. She has been the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Arbitration and Mediation. Over the years, she has taught hundreds of students in Quebec and abroad, including Italy and France. She has also taught at the École du Barreau in the areas of ethics, professional conduct and arbitration. Throughout her career, she has served on numerous committees under the auspices of the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Association for Legal Ethics and the Barreau du Québec, among others.

Justice Rigaud and her husband are the proud parents of six children.

Quick facts

  • At the Superior Court level, more than 450 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, LGBTQ2+, 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.

  • The Government of Canada is committed to promoting a justice system in which sexual assault matters are decided fairly, without the influence of myths and stereotypes, and in which survivors are treated with dignity and compassion. Changes to the Judges Act and Criminal Code, which came into force on May 6, 2021, mean that in order to be eligible for appointment to a provincial superior court, candidates must agree to participate in continuing education on matters related to sexual assault law and social context, which includes systemic racism and systemic discrimination. The new legislation enhances the transparency of decisions by amending the Criminal Code to require that judges provide written reasons, or enter them into the record, when deciding sexual assault matters.

Contacts

For more information, media may contact:

David Taylor
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Justice
613-992-4621
david.taylor@justice.gc.ca

Media Relations
Department of Justice Canada
613-957-4207
media@justice.gc.ca

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