OTTAWA,
ON, July 24, 2024 /CNW/ - The Honourable Arif
Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following
appointment 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.
Trina D. Simms, Counsel at
the Public Prosecution Service of Canada in St.
John's, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of
Newfoundland and Labrador, General Division, in St. John's. Justice
Simms replaces Justice D.H.
Burrage (St. John's), who
resigned effective February 19,
2024.
Quote
"I wish Justice Simms every
success as she takes on her new role. I am confident she will serve
the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador well as a member of
the Supreme Court of Newfoundland
and Labrador.".
—The Hon. Arif Virani, Minister
of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Biography
Justice Trina D.
Simms was born and raised in St. Anthony, NL. She holds a BA in Political
Science and Sociology from Memorial (1999), an LLB from the
University of New Brunswick (2002), and
an LLM in Criminal Law and Procedure from York
University (2023). She was called to the Newfoundland and Labrador bar in 2003.
Justice Simms has spent her legal
career in public service, as a Crown Attorney and Senior Crown
Attorney with Public Prosecutions Newfoundland and Labrador, initially in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and later in
Corner Brook. Most recently, she
has worked with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada in St.
John's. She has been both a regular and reserve force member
of the Canadian Armed Forces, having served as a Legal Officer in
Military Justice Policy and Research in Ottawa, Military Prosecutions in Edmonton, and most recently as a reservist in
Defence Counsel Services. She held the rank of Major.
Justice Simms has volunteered
with several arts organizations throughout the province, having
served as a board member with Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador, Camber Arts, Shakespeare by the Sea Festival, and the
Atlantic Boychoir. She has been involved in her local running
community through Tuckamore Trail Runners and the Corner Brook
Running Club. She is also an appointed member of the Provincial
Advisory Council on the Status of Women.
Justice Simms is passionate about
trail running, especially with her dogs. She's completed
ultramarathons in the province and in Iceland. Her greatest love is her son, Ryder,
of whom she and her partner, John, are exceedingly proud.
Quick Facts
- The Government of Canada has
appointed more than 760 judges since November 2015. This includes 137 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