Canada: New Judges Appointed To The Tax Court Of Canada And The Federal Court Of Appeal

The Honourable Peter MacKay, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Central Nova, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment:

The Honourable Guy R. Smith, a sole practitioner in Ottawa, is appointed a judge of the Tax Court of Canada to replace Mr. Justice J.E. Hershfield, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of June 1, 2015.

Mr. Justice Smith received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Manitoba (Collège universitaire de St-Boniface) and a Bachelor of Arts (History) (cum laude) from the University of Ottawa in 1982. He received a Bachelor of Laws (French Common Law Program) in 1985.

Mr. Justice Smith had been a sole practitioner since 2014. Previously, he had been the Judicial Affairs Advisor for the Federal Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada from March 2009 to July 2014. In December 2005, he became an investment advisor with ScotiaMcLeod and in June 2007 he joined CANNACORD Capital, where he worked until 2009. He practised administrative law, constitutional law and litigation with Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall LLP from 1997 to 2005 and as a sole practitioner from 1991 to 1997. After he was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1988, he practised with the Law Office of Coderre, Smith, Barristers and Solicitors until 1991.

Mr. Justice Smith was a member of the Carleton County Law Association, the Canadian Tax Foundation and the Canadian Club of Ottawa.

Appointments to the country's Superior Courts not only reflect the rich and diverse social fabric of our country, but also take into consideration the merit and legal excellence of each individual jurist. Through these appointments, the Government of Canada has demonstrated an awareness of the need to bring greater gender balance to the bench, to help ensure that the judiciary is more representative of Canadian society.

This appointment is effective immediately.

The Honourable Peter MacKay, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Central Nova, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments:

The Honourable Yves de Montigny, a judge of the Federal Court in Ottawa, is appointed a judge of the Federal Court of Appeal to replace Mr. Justice R. Mainville, who was appointed to the Court of Appeal of Quebec on July 1, 2014.

Mr. Justice de Montigny was appointed to the Federal Court in 2004. Prior to his appointment, he had held various positions in the Department of Justice Canada, including those of Chief of Staff to the Minister, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Minister, and Chief Legal Counsel, Public Law Group. He had also been Director General of Constitutional Strategy and Plans at the Privy Council Office. As well, he served as Special Advisor to the Executive Council of the Government of Quebec and Counsel in the Quebec Ministry of Justice. His main areas of practice included constitutional law, administrative law, criminal law and international and public law. He had been a professor at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law (1982-1997), and a lecturer at the École du Barreau du Québec and the Faculty of Law and Faculty of Continuing Education of the Université de Montréal.

Mr. Justice de Montigny received a Bachelor of Laws in 1978 and a Master of Laws in 1979, both from l'Université de Montréal. As well, he holds a Masters in Political Philosophy from Oxford University. He was admitted to the Bar of Quebec in 1983.

The Honourable Mary J.L. Gleason, a judge of the Federal Court in Ottawa, is appointed a judge of the Federal Court of Appeal to fill a new position created by Bill-C36.

Madam Justice Gleason was appointed to the Federal Court in 2011. Prior to her appointment, she had been a senior partner with Norton Rose LLP (formerly Ogilvy Renault LLP), where she practised labour and employment law in Ottawa after being admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1986. Madam Justice Gleason held a number of management positions within her firm, including that of co-managing partner of its Ottawa office and Ottawa Chair of its Employment and Labour Group. She frequently guest lectured at the University of Ottawa and taught a course in employment law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa. She has written numerous articles and regularly presented papers to conferences hosted by a variety of organizations, including the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association, Insight, Lancaster House, the Council of Industrial Relations Executives of the Conference Board of Canada and the Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers (CACE), an association of Canadian management-side labour and employment practitioners. Justice Gleason was a founding member and past president of CACE. She also was active in the Canadian Bar Association and the Ottawa Human Resource Professionals' Association, where she held the portfolio of Government Affairs Liaison on its Board of Directors for a number of years. Prior to her appointment she was a member of the Canada Industrial Relations Board's Client Consultation Committee and the Federal Court Labour Law, Human Rights, Privacy and Access Review Liaison Group. She was recognized as a leading labour and employment practitioner by Best Lawyers in Canada, L'Expert, PLC Which Lawyer?, Guide to the World's Leading Labour and Employment Lawyers, and Canadian HR Reporter's Canada's Employment Law Directory.

Madam Justice Gleason, from Regina, Saskatchewan, lived most of her earlier years in Calgary and then pursued her studies in Ottawa and Halifax. She received a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in History (summa cum laude) from the University of Ottawa in 1981and a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University in 1984.

Appointments to the country's Superior Courts not only reflect the rich and diverse social fabric of our country, but also take into consideration the merit and legal excellence of each individual jurist. Through these appointments, the Government of Canada has demonstrated an awareness of the need to bring greater gender balance to the bench, to help ensure that the judiciary is more representative of Canadian society.

These appointments are effective immediately.