OTTAWA,
ON, June 18, 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.
Barbara A. MacFarlane,
Partner at MD Lawyers in London,
is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of
Ontario in London. Justice
MacFarlane replaces Justice A.D.
Grace (London), who
resigned effective November 18,
2023.
Colleen Yamashita, Partner
at Scarfone Hawkins LLP in Hamilton, is appointed a Judge of the Superior
Court of Justice of Ontario in
Milton. Justice Yamashita fills the remaining position
authorized further to the Budget Implementation Act, 2022, No.
1.
S. James Mountford,
Counsel at Scarfone Hawkins LLP in Hamilton, is appointed a Judge of the Superior
Court of Justice of Ontario,
Family Court, in Kitchener.
Justice Mountford fills the
remaining position authorized further to the Budget
Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1.
Quote
"I wish Justices MacFarlane,Yamashita, and Mountford every
success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will
serve Ontarians well as members of the Superior Court of Justice of
Ontario".
—The Hon. Arif Virani, Minister
of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Biographies
Justice Barbara
A. MacFarlane graduated from Osgoode Hall Law
School in1998. She was called to the Bar in 1999.
Justice MacFarlane is a
co-founder of MD Lawyers in London
where she focussed on prosecuting medical negligence cases. Prior
to moving her practice to London
in 2018, she worked with Torkin Manes LLP in Toronto, which her dedicated 30-year journey
allowed her to progress from law clerk to partner.
Justice MacFarlane was a devoted
mentor for young lawyers, especially women, and she championed
their successes through various initiatives. She revitalized a
mentorship program for female members of the Ontario Trial Lawyers
Association (OTLA). She also actively participated in the Law
Society's Judicia Project, which focuses on supporting women in
private practice. She has regularly been recognized by Best Lawyers
in Canada and Lexpert, and is a
Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. She was honoured to
receive the Bruce T. Hillyer award from the OTLA for fearlessly
advancing the cause of individual rights by the effective use of
trial advocacy.
Justice MacFarlane served on the
Board of Directors for the OBA-Health Law Section and was a long-time
Director and member of the Executive of OTLA. She has regularly
been asked to speak or write for various law associations,
including the Advocates' Society, OTLA, OBA, American Bar Association, American
Association for Justice, and the Law Society of Ontario
Justice Colleen Yamashita grew up in
Hamilton, graduating from
McMaster University with a Bachelor of
Arts (Hons) in 2001 and an LLB from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law in 2004. She
was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 2005.
Justice Yamashita began her legal
career at the law firm Scarfone Hawkins LLP and became a partner in
2017. Her practice focused on a wide array of commercial litigation
matters as well as bankruptcy and insolvency. Over her 19 years in
private practice, she benefitted greatly from the mentorship she
received from her colleagues at her firm.
Justice Yamashita was also active
in the Hamilton community. She
served for many years as a trustee of the Hamilton Law Association
and as Vice-President, Chair of the Corporate Commercial
Subcommittee, and the Library Excellence Subcommittee at the time
of her appointment. She was a regular chair, speaker, and author
for continuing education seminars. Since 2018, she served on the
Board of Directors for St.
Joseph's Healthcare Foundation in Hamilton and has led and participated in many
fundraising initiatives in the community.
Justice Yamashita currently lives in Hamilton with her wonderful husband of 17
years and treasured teenage son. When not working, she enjoys
playing tennis and traveling with her family.
Justice S. James
Mountford graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree
from McMaster University in 1983 and a
Law degree from Queen's University, Faculty of Law in 1986. He was
called to the Ontario Bar in 1988.
Justice Mountford has practised
primarily Family Law for 36 years, including as a partner at Spears
Mountford and Associates, then from 2004 to 2014 at the Catholic
Children's Aid Society of Hamilton
as In-House Counsel. In 2014, he returned to private practice, most
recently with Scarfone Hawkins LLP where he led the Family Law
Group.
Justice Mountford has served with
numerous community organizations including as President of the
Hamilton International Air Show, sessional instructor at
McMaster University, guest lecturer at
Mohawk College and McMaster, and Director of the Air Cadet League. He
has also been a coach and judge at the Ontario Bar Association Moot
Court Competition, and girls' soccer coach. He has been a long-time
contributor to the Hamilton Law Association, notably serving three
terms on the Family Law Sub-Committee and giving numerous
presentations on litigation skills, ethics and case-law updates. In
addition to conducting the annual Groundhog Day roast of the
Hamilton bench and bar, and roasts
of incoming judges and "swearing outs' of retiring judges, he was
the most recent recipient of the Justice Patricia Wallace Community
Service Award in 2023.
Justice Mountford is an avid
cyclist and traveller with his partner, Erin Sokoloski, and of most importance, the
proud father of Claire who is completing her PhD in gender
politics.
Quick Facts
- The Government of Canada has
appointed more than 745 judges since November 2015. This includes 120 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