He served as general counsel at the Department of Justice
The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Arif Virani, announced the appointment of Michael U. Ezri as a judge of the Tax Court of Canada.
Justice Ezri, previously serving as general counsel at the Department of Justice Canada in Toronto, fills the vacancy left by Justice K. Lyons, who resigned effective June 30, 2023.
Michael U. Ezri was born in Montreal and completed his Bachelor of Arts honours in philosophy and history from Carleton University. He obtained his law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1998. Justice Ezri is bilingual, speaking both English and French fluently.
Justice Ezri’s career began as a GST Rulings Officer for the Canada Revenue Agency. In 1999, he joined the Department of Justice Canada as a tax litigator and was promoted to general counsel in 2019. Throughout his tenure, he argued significant and high-profile tax cases before the Tax Court of Canada, the Federal Court, and the Federal Court of Appeal. He is recognized as a leader in GST/HST law within the Department of Justice Canada and the tax bar, and has testified before the Senate’s Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs.
Beyond his litigation work, Justice Ezri has made several contributions to legal education. He has lectured in tax law at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Lincoln Alexander School of Law and coached the school's tax mooting team for the Bowman moot. Additionally, he has served as an articling principal and tax tutor for the Law Society of Ontario’s tutoring program and regularly presented at the CPA’s Commodity Tax Symposium.
In his announcement, Minister Virani expressed confidence in Justice Ezri’s capabilities, stating, “I wish Justice Ezri every success as he takes on his new role. I am confident he will serve Canadians well as a member of the Tax Court of Canada.”
