Government of Canada releases report following the appointment of Justice Mary T. Moreau to the Supreme Court of Canada
News release
December 14, 2023 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Justice Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is recognized nationally and internationally for its excellence. To continue to improve upon this tradition, in 2016 the government introduced an open and transparent process to appoint a justice of the highest calibre who would be functionally bilingual and representative of the diversity of our great country. It is this process that led to the appointment of Justice Mary T. Moreau to the Supreme Court of Canada on November 6, 2023.
In keeping with the openness and transparency of the new process, the Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments was required to submit its report on the selection process to the Government of Canada within a month of the appointment of Justice Moreau.
On November 29, 2023, the Chair of the Advisory Board, the Honourable H. Wade MacLauchlan, provided the Government with its Report on the 2023 Process.
The report includes, among other things:
- a detailed description of the meetings, review process and recommendation process of the Advisory Board;
- a summary of consultations and outreach activities by the Advisory Board;
- statistics about the demographics of applicants; and
- the Advisory Board's recommendations on improvements to the appointment process and the work of the Advisory Board.
The report can be found on the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs’ website.
Quick facts
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The process to select a candidate to fill this Supreme Court of Canada vacancy was launched on June 20, 2023.
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From the applications received, the Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments identified jurists of the highest calibre who were functionally bilingual and met the eligibility requirements for a Western Canada or Northern Canada seat, according to the convention of regional representation in Canada’s highest court. They then submitted a shortlist to the Prime Minister for consideration.
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In 2016, the Government of Canada announced a new process for Supreme Court of Canada judicial appointments. It included the creation of an independent and non-partisan advisory board to identify qualified and suitable candidates for appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada.
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The Supreme Court of Canada consists of nine judges, including a Chief Justice. They are all appointed by the Governor in Council and must have been either a judge of a superior court or a member of at least 10 years’ standing of the bar of a province or territory.
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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