Government of Canada announces judicial appointment to the Tax Court of Canada

June 22, 2018 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Justice Canada  

The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment under the new judicial application process announced on October 20, 2016. The new process emphasizes transparency, merit, and diversity, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.

Ronald V. MacPhee, General Counsel with the Tax Law Services Division of the Department of Justice Canada in Ottawa, is appointed a judge of the Tax Court of Canada. He replaces Mr. Justice Gaston Jorré, who resigned effective October 1, 2017.

Biography

Justice Ronald V. MacPhee was born and raised in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. He earned his B.B.A. (Honours in Accounting) in 1989 from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish and his LL.B. from the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton in 1994.  

After his call to the Ontario Bar in 1996, Justice MacPhee ran a busy general practice in Ottawa, both on his own and with a small firm, focusing in the areas of civil and criminal litigation, family law, and wills and estates. 

In 2002, Justice MacPhee joined the Tax Law Services Division of the Department of Justice Canada in Ottawa. As General Counsel since 2009, he has been lead counsel in the conduct of complex trial and appellate litigation relating to fiscal matters before the Tax Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Appeal, and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

Justice MacPhee is an enthusiastic amateur athlete who enjoys cycling in the summer, downhill skiing in the winter, and playing weekly hockey. Justice MacPhee has spent several years as a volunteer basketball coach with a number of organizations in the Ottawa area. He is also an active member of the volunteer “hosers” of his neighborhood’s outdoor rink, who work to ensure quality ice conditions for all skaters. 

Justice MacPhee and his wife, Suzanne, are the proud parents of three wonderful daughters and owners of one crazy dog.

Quick Facts

• In 2017, the Minister of Justice made 100 appointments and elevations – the most a Minister of Justice has made in one year in at least two decades. Of these appointees, half are women, four are Indigenous, and 16 have self-identified as a member of a visible minority population, LGBTQ2, or a person with a disability. 
• The Government of Canada is committed to promoting access to justice for all Canadians. To improve outcomes for Canadian families, Budget 2018 proposes $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.
• In addition, Budget 2018 proposes funding for a further seven judicial positions in Saskatchewan and Ontario, at a cost of $17.1 million over five years.
• The funding outlined in Budget 2018 comes on top of resources allocated under Budget 2017, which created 28 new judicial positions across the country.
• Additionally, the Government will ensure that a robust process remains in place to allow Canadians to voice their concerns and submit complaints about judicial conduct to the Canadian Judicial Council and the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs. This investment of $6 million over two years, beginning in 2018-2019, will support the judicial discipline process through which allegations of judicial misconduct are investigated.
• 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. Sixteen Judicial Advisory Committees have been reconstituted to date.