AG boasts of 172 judicial appointments — Liberals have now tapped 800 of 955 federal judges

Liberal Justice Minister Arif Virani boasted on social media he has personally appointed 172 federal judges since he took over the portfolio in July 2023. In announcing three judges he recently appointed, Virani said of Canada’s 955 federal judges, 800 have been appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government since 2015. Virani said his government’s judicial appointments “improve the accessibility, efficiency and fairness of our justice system.”“I will be sure to keep this historic pace going!” he added. The Liberals said in a news release of these 800 judges, “more than half are women.”“Appointments reflect an increased representation of racialized persons, indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+, and those who self-identify as having a disability,” states the release. .In August 2023, mere weeks after his appointment, Virani rewrote some of the rules surrounding judiciary appointments: increasing the number of years newly appointed Judicial Advisory Committees serve, from two to three years, and increasing the validity of Judicial Advisory Committee “assessments of judicial appointment candidates” from two to three years. Virani’s department on Tuesday announced the minister had appointed three new judges, and stated the process used “emphasizes transparency, merit, and the diversity of the Canadian population.”The Liberals “will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity,” wrote the department in a news release. All three judges serve in British Columbia, including BC Supreme Court Judge Geoffrey B. Gomery, who was appointed Justice of Appeal at the BC Court of Appeal in Vancouver, attorney Elin Sigurdson of Mandell Pinder LLP in Vancouver as BC Supreme Court judge in Vancouver and last week appointed Justice GB Gomery to the BC Court of Appeal in Vancouver. “I wish Justices Gomery and Sigurdson every success as they take on their new roles,” wrote Virani in the press release. “I am confident they will serve the people of British Columbia well as members of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia and the Supreme Court of British Columbia.”

AG boasts of 172 judicial appointments — Liberals have now tapped 800 of 955 federal judges

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