OTTAWA, ON, June 6, 2022 /CNW/ – The Honourable David Lametti, 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.
The Honourable Meghan McCreary, a Judge of Her Majesty’s Court of Queen’s Bench for Saskatchewan in Regina, is appointed a Judge of Appeal of the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan. Justice McCreary replaces Justice R.K. Ottenbreit, who resigned effective April 2, 2022.
“I wish Justice McCreary every success as she takes on her new role. I am confident she will serve the people of Saskatchewan well as a member of the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan.”
–The Hon. David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Justice Meghan McCreary was appointed to Her Majesty’s Court of Queen’s Bench for Saskatchewan in 2018. She obtained a B.A. (Hons) from the University of Saskatchewan in 1995 and her law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1998. She was called to the Bars of Saskatchewan and British Columbia and has worked in private practice in both provinces.
At the time of her appointment to Her Majesty’s Court of Queen’s Bench for Saskatchewan, Justice McCreary was a partner with MLT Aikins LLP in Regina, practising in the areas of labour, employment, workplace human rights and administrative law. She clerked for the Chief Justice of Saskatchewan. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel for Saskatchewan in 2017.
Before joining the bench, Justice McCreary acted as an executive board member of the Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers and frequently gave presentations on labour relations, employment and human rights issues to lawyers and laypeople at conferences and seminars. She was chair of the Saskatchewan Arts Board and served as chair of the Globe Theatre Society, as a trustee of the Saskatchewan Pension Plan, and as a director of the Regina and District Food Bank.
- At the Superior Court level, more than 540 judges have been appointed since November 2015. These exceptional jurists represent the diversity that strengthens Canada. Of these judges, more than half are women, and appointments reflect an increased representation of visible minorities, Indigenous, LGBTQ2+, and those who self-identify as having a disability.
- The Government of Canada is committed to promoting access to justice for all Canadians. To improve outcomes for Canadian families, Budget 2018 provides funding of $77.2 million over four years to support the expansion of unified family courts, beginning in 2019-2020. This investment in the family justice system will create 39 new judicial positions in Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
- 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
