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

July 2, 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.

The Honourable Yvan Poulin, a Judge of the Court of Quebec, is appointed a puisne Judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montréal. Mr. Justice Poulin replaces Madam Justice N. Gibeau (Montréal), who resigned effective January 1, 2021.

Daniel Urbas, a sole practitioner in Montréal, is appointed a puisne Judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montréal. Mr. Justice Urbas replaces Madam Justice C. Cohen (Montréal), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective February 1, 2021.

Louis Charette, partner at Lavery de Billy, LLP in Montréal, is appointed a puisne Judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montréal. Mr. Justice Charette replaces Mr. Justice L. Gouin (Montréal), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective February 3, 2021. .

Gabrielle Brochu, Partner at Langlois Lawyers LLP in Montréal, is appointed a puisne Judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montréal. Madam Justice Brochu replaces Mr. Justice M. Girouard (Abitibi, Rouyn-Noranda, Témiscamingue), who elected to resign effective February 25, 2021. The Chief Justice has transferred this vacancy to Montréal. The vacancy is therefore located in Montréal. 

Quote

“I wish Justices Poulin, Urbas, Charette, and Brochu 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 Yvan Poulin graduated from the University of Montréal with a bachelor’s degree in law in 1990 and was admitted to the Barreau du Québec in 1991.

In 2013, Justice Poulin was appointed to the Court of Québec in Montréal where he served on the Criminal and Penal Division. He has been actively involved in training and mentoring his colleagues. He was in charge of criminal law training for judges newly appointed to the Court of Québec. He was a member of the board of directors of the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges. Before being appointed to the Court of Québec, Justice Poulin had worked as a prosecutor at the Public Prosecution Service of Canada for 22 years. He specialized in managing criminal mega-trials and was responsible for prosecuting organized crime cases. He was also a member of the national team of prosecutors responsible for appeal cases and has pleaded at every level of court.

In 2013, in recognition of his unique achievements, Justice Poulin received the Commitment to Justice Award from the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Heads of Prosecution. He has been a university lecturer and has regularly taken part, on a pro bono basis, in training and professional development activities for the legal community and students.

Justice Daniel Urbas is fluently bilingual. He holds degrees in common law and civil law from McGill University and has been an active member of the Barreau du Québec (1992), the Law Society of Ontario (1998) and the Law Society of British Columbia (2004).

Before founding Urbas Arbitral in 2017 to work exclusively as an arbitrator and mediator, Justice Urbas had more than 25 years of experience in dispute resolution. At Borden Ladner Gervais (2005–2017), Woods (2000–2004) and Heenan Blaikie (1992–2000), his practice included IP and IT, energy and natural resources, contract disputes, administrative and public law, product liability, real estate and construction, Indigenous law, and telecommunications and broadcasting. As a partner at BLG in Montréal, Justice Urbas served as Regional Leader, International Trade Litigation and Arbitration (until June 2017), Regional Leader, Commercial Litigation (until September 2013) and National Leader, Intellectual Property Litigation (until September 2013).

Involved in trials and appeals, and applications for injunctions and extraordinary applications, Justice Urbas has appeared at all levels of provincial and federal courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and before arbitration tribunals and administrative tribunals. He has received numerous annual peer awards. He has written and lectured regularly on dispute resolution. Listed in various directories and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Justice Urbas has provided arbitration training to experienced lawyers and former judges. He is deeply committed to mentoring and has taken on numerous pro bono cases in his professional practice.

Justice Urbas and his spouse, Joanne Brodeur, are the proud parents of three boys.

Justice Louis Charette earned a B.C.L. and an LL.B. from McGill University in 1994, after obtaining a BA from Western University in 1990. He has been a member of the Barreau du Québec since 1995 and a member of the Law Society of Ontario since 1998.

At the time of his appointment, Mr. Justice Charette was a partner at Lavery, practising in the litigation and dispute resolution group. His practice focused on product liability, transportation and aviation, professional liability, and insurance. He has appeared before the Court of Québec, the Superior Court and the Court of Appeal of Quebec, as well as the Federal Court, Trial Division.

Justice Charette is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, an invitation-only association of outstanding trial lawyers in Canada and the United States. He has been actively involved in the legal community, including the Canadian Bar Association, where he was the chair of the Young Lawyers Section and a member of the national executive of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Community Section. At the Bar of Montreal, he was a member of the LGBTQ2 Committee. He has been a speaker for several associations in Quebec, Canada and the United States.

Involved in the community, Justice Charette has, among other things, volunteered with GRIS-Montréal, an organization that works to demystify homosexuality and bisexuality in schools and among seniors.

Justice Charette lives in Montréal with his spouse, Mario Lalancette.

Justice Gabrielle Brochu studied law at Laval University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree with distinction. She has practised as a litigator since being admitted to the Barreau du Québec in 2002.

Justice Brochu’s practice centred on construction law, civil, contractual and professional liability, and bodily harm. At the time of her appointment, she had been a partner at the firm of Langlois Lawyers for ten years, serving on its board of directors and its executive committee.

In addition to her practice, Justice Brochu has been performing volunteer work related to suicide prevention for nearly twenty years, serving as both a crisis hotline counsellor and a member of the board of directors of Suicide Action Montréal. Her exceptional contribution to this cause, along with her professional accomplishments, was recognized by the Barreau du Québec in 2018, when it honoured her with its Mérite du Barreau award.

Training young lawyers is a matter dear to Justice Brochu. Year after year since 2007, she has taught civil evidence at the École du Barreau in addition to acting as a trainer for the Séminaire des techniques de plaidoirie, an annual seminar on trial advocacy held in Sherbrooke since 2016. Through close connections from teaching, she has been able to serve as a strong female role model in the profession, sending the message that it is absolutely possible for women to pursue a career with high standards of performance while still having a rich family life and being involved in their community.

Quick facts

  • At the Superior Court level, more than 475 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:

Chantalle Aubertin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice
613-992-6568
Chantalle.Aubertin@justice.gc.ca

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

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