OTTAWA,
ON, June 25, 2024 /CNW/ - The
Honourable Arif Virani, 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.
Jonathan Coulombe, Partner
at RPGL Lawyers in Gatineau, is
appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Gatineau. Justice
Coulombe replaces Justice D.
Goulet (Gatineau), who
resigned effective December 31,
2023.
Justin Roberge, Associate
Lawyer at Caron Roberge Inc. in Montréal, is appointed a Judge of
the Superior Court of Quebec for
the district of Montréal. Justice
Roberge replaces Justice M.
Pinsonnault (Montréal), who elected to become a
supernumerary judge effective December 17,
2023.
Antoine Aylwin, Partner at
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP in Montréal, is appointed a Judge of
the Superior Court of Quebec for
the district of Montréal. Justice
Aylwin replaces Justice P.
Labelle (Montréal), who elected to become a supernumerary
judge effective May 9, 2024
Quote
"I wish Justices Coulombe, Roberge, and Aylwin every success as
they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve
Quebecers well as members of the Superior Court of Quebec."
—The Hon. Arif Virani, Minister
of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Biographies
Justice Jonathan
Coulombe received his Civil Law degree from the
University of Ottawa in 1998 and his
Master of Business Administration from the same university in 2004.
He was admitted to the Barreau du Québec in 1999.
Justice Coulombe began his
practice with the firm RPGL Lawyers (formerly known as Legault Roy) in 1999 and became a partner in
2004. For several years, he acted as the managing partner of the
firm. His practice focused on civil and commercial litigation, as
well as corporate law. He has appeared before the Cour du Québec,
the Superior Court, and the Court of Appeal of Québec, as well as
before various administrative tribunals.
Justice Coulombe taught business
law at the École du Barreau du Québec and in a business
start-up program in the Outaouais region. Not to mention, he
mentored and trained numerous colleagues. He has also been actively
involved with the Gatineau Chamber
of Commerce, notably as a governor. Alongside his professional
endeavours, he continued to practise several sports, including
running, kickboxing, and hockey; he even volunteered as a minor
hockey coach for many years.
Justice Coulombe and his wife,
Isabelle Côté, are the proud parents of two young adults, Maxim and
William.
Justice Justin
Roberge holds a Bachelor of Laws (1997) and a
Master of International Law (2000) from the Université de Montréal.
These studies enabled him to complete a training at the René Cassin
Foundation—International Institute for Human Rights (1999) and an
internship at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (2000), before being
admitted to the Barreau du Québec in 2000.
Justice Roberge was a partner at
Caron Roberge Inc., a firm he co-founded (2004), to focus on the
practice of family law. There, he acquired in-depth experience in
family litigation matters, including constitutional aspects or an
international component.
Justice Roberge was a member of
the Association des avocats et avocates en droit familial du
Québec. In 2009, he was named Family Lawyer of the Year by the
Young Bar of Montreal, and he
co-authored a collective publication, entitled Droit familial :
jurisprudence en tableaux. From 2011 to 2016, he was a member
of the Liaison avec la Cour supérieure en matière familiale
Committee, which he chaired from 2017 to 2020. In 2018, he was
named a fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers. He
had been involved in community organizations since his college
days. Since 2016, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of
a cooperative.
Justice Roberge and his wife are
the proud parents of two daughters. He is very appreciative of
their support, as well as that of his colleagues and extended
family at home, in the United
States, and in Italy.
Justice Antoine
Aylwin holds a Civil Law degree from the Université
de Montréal and was admitted to the Barreau du Québec in
2003.
Justice Aylwin joined the law
firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP in 2004, where he became a
partner and national co-leader of the privacy and cybersecurity
practice. His expertise is recognized in the following areas:
protection of personal information, cybersecurity, access to
information, economic regulation of agricultural markets, as well
as linguistic obligations, estates, and trusts. He focused his
practice on civil and administrative litigation before various
administrative and civil authorities, including the Supreme Court
of Canada.
Over the years, Justice Aylwin
has shared his knowledge and insight through publications and
conferences in Canada and
the United States. He was active
in many aspects of the legal profession. He was a member of the
Board of Directors of the Barreau du Québec, even serving as
vice-president for several years. He sat on the Board of Directors
of CanLII and chaired the Board of Directors of Lexum. He was also
a member of the Board of Directors of Théâtre de la Ligue
nationale d'improvisation, for which he served as ambassador for
several years.
Justice Aylwin is fortunate to
share his life with his better half of 20 years and their two sons,
of whom he is very proud.
Quick Facts
- The Government of Canada has
appointed more than 750 judges since November 2015. This includes 126 appointments
since the Honourable Arif Virani became Minister of Justice and
Attorney General of Canada on
July 26, 2023, a pace of
appointments that has no precedent in Canadian History. These
exceptional jurists represent the diversity that strengthens
Canada. Of these judges, more than
half are women, and appointments reflect an increased
representation of racialized persons, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+, and
those who self-identify as having a disability.
- To support the needs of the courts and improve access to
justice for all Canadians, the Government of Canada is committed to increasing the capacity
of superior courts. Budget 2022 provides for 22 new judicial
positions, along with two associate judges at the Tax Court of
Canada. Along with the 13
positions created under Budget 2021, this makes a total of 37 newly
created superior court positions. Since Budget 2017, the government
has funded 116 new judicial positions.
- Changes to the Questionnaire for Federal Judicial Appointments
were announced in September 2022. The
questionnaire continues to provide for a robust and thorough
assessment of candidates but has been streamlined and updated to
incorporate, among other things, more respectful and inclusive
language for individuals to self-identify diversity
characteristics.
- 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 that 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.
SOURCE Department of Justice
Canada