Justice minister and attorney-general announced several other judicial appointments across Canada
Law Commission of Canada deputy CEO Kirkland G. Shannon has joined the Federal Court as an associate judge.
Shannon takes over for B. Duchesne, who transitioned to the Federal Court on September 20, 2024. In addition to serving as deputy CEO, he was also director general of the Law Commission.
He was senior counsel at Department of Justice Canada, a federal crown prosecutor at the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, and legal counsel in the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. He also represented the attorney-general in in civil, constitutional and administrative law matters as part of the Department of Justice Canada’s national litigation sector.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General Arif Virani announced several other judicial appointments alongside Shannon’s.
Gowling WLG Toronto partner John A. Sorensen has joined the Tax Court of Canada’s bench as a judge. He replaces P.J. Boyle, who became a supernumerary judge on June 21, 2024.
He began his legal career clerking at the Tax Court and had appeared before the court as a private practitioner. He was also a Canadian Tax Foundation governor.
At Gowling, Sorensen headed up the firm’s national tax and tax litigation practices as well as Toronto business law department.
Kathryn H. Oviatt KC has been named a Court of King's Bench of Alberta justice in Edmonton, taking one of three new roles authorized under Bill C-74 (2018) in Edmonton.
She was chief of the commission and tribunals at the Alberta Human Rights Commission in Edmonton. She took silk last year and has been practicing as a neutral adjudicator for a decade.
Kristan A. McLeod has also been appointed a Court of King's Bench of Alberta justice in Edmonton, replacing K.H. Davidson (Edmonton). Davidson became chief justice of the Court of King's Bench of Alberta as of June 20, 2024.
McLeod was the managing partner of Edmonton-based Chivers Carpenter Lawyers. She specializes in labour, employment, human rights, constitutional, and professional regulatory law.
Shannon W. Davis has been named a Court of King’s Bench of Alberta justice in Grande Prairie, filling one of three new roles authorized under Bill C-74 (2018) in Grande Prairie.
Davis was deputy chief crown prosecutor at the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service in Grande Prairie. He was also a frontline prosecutor for Alberta Justice.
Maurice C. Richard KC has been appointed a Court of King’s Bench of New Brunswick family division judge in Moncton. He replaces I. Robichaud (Bathurst – Trial Division), who joined the New Brunswick Court of Appeal on July 19, 2024.
Richard took silk last year and has been teaching law and social work at the Université de Moncton as an adjunct professor since 2013. In 2018, he became the assistant deputy attorney general of Family Crown Services.
The chief justice transferred Justice J.D. Roy (Moncton – Family Division) into the vacancy left by Robichaud.
Superior Court of Quebec judge for Montréal Christian Immer has been appointed a puisne Judge of the Court of Appeal of Quebec in Montréal. He took the place of M. Schrager (Montréal), who became a supernumerary judge on March 2, 2024.
Immer has appeared before the Superior Court and Court of Appeal of Quebec, the Federal Court and the Supreme Court of Canada as a private practitioner. He commenced in his new role on January 23.
Robert Leckey has been appointed a Superior Court of Quebec judge in Montréal, replacing Immer. He was McGill University Faculty of Law dean in Montréal and previously chaired Egale Canada’s Legal Issues Committee. He was also a past president of the Council of Canadian Law Deans.
Court of Québec judge for Trois-Rivières Alain Trudel has been named a Superior Court of Quebec judge in Shawinigan. Trudel replaces E. Parent (Shawinigan), who became a supernumerary judge on September 1, 2024.
