Government of Canada announces judicial appointment in the province of Saskatchewan

OTTAWA, Nov. 29, 2017 /CNW/ - The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment under the new judicial application process announced on October 20, 2016. The new process emphasizes transparency, merit, and diversity, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.

Robert Leurer, Q.C., a partner at MLT Aikins LLP, is appointed a judge of Her Majesty's Court of Queen's Bench for Saskatchewan in Regina. He replaces Madam Justice A.R. Rothery, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective December 31, 2015.

Biography

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Justice Robert Leurer was a litigator whose practice focused on product liability and class actions. His work extended widely to commercial, insurance, personal injury, privacy, constitutional and administrative law. He has argued cases before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court, and courts throughout Western Canada.

Justice Leurer obtained his law degree in 1984 from the University of Saskatchewan, where he was the Law Society of Saskatchewan Gold Medalist. Upon graduating, he clerked for Justice W.Z. Estey of the Supreme Court of Canada and was called to the Saskatchewan Bar in 1986. That same year, he joined MLT Aikins (as the firm is now known), where he was a partner until his judicial appointment.

Justice Leurer has served as President of the Canadian Bar Association, Saskatchewan Branch, and as Regional Chair for the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute. He was a member of the Canadian Bar Association National Class Actions Task Force and the Board of Directors of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies. He has been a frequent lecturer at national and regional legal conferences. In recognition of his many contributions to the legal community, he was appointed Queen's Counsel for Saskatchewan in 2003 and was named a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, among other awards.

Aside from his professional commitments, Justice Leurer has also been actively involved in his community, serving on the Luther College (Regina) Board of Regents and as a director of the Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club.

Excerpts from Justice Leurer's judicial application will be available shortly.

Quick Facts

• Budget 2017 includes additional funding of $55 million over five years beginning in 2017-2018 and $15.5 million per year thereafter for 28 new federally appointed judges. Of these new positions, 12 have been allotted to Alberta and one to the Yukon, with the remaining 15 being assigned to a pool for needs in other jurisdictions.
• To ensure a judiciary that is responsive, ethical and sensitive to the evolving needs of Canadian society, the Canadian Judicial Council will receive $2.7 million over five years and $0.5 million ongoing thereafter. This will support programming on judicial education, ethics and conduct, including in relation to gender and cultural sensitivity.
• 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. Sixteen Judicial Advisory Committees have been reconstituted to date.
• This process is separate from the Supreme Court of Canada judicial appointment process currently under way. Nominees to the Supreme Court of Canada are selected by the Prime Minister from a thoroughly vetted list of candidates.

SOURCE Department of Justice Canada

media may contact: Kathleen Davis, Communications and Parliamentary Affairs Advisor, Office of the Minister of Justice, 613-992-4621; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]