OTTAWA, March 15, 2018 /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.
Edith M. Campbell, counsel for the Northern Regional Office of the Department of Justice Canada, is appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Yukon. She fills a new position authorized under Bill C-44, the Budget Implementation Act, No. 1, 2017.
Biography
Madam Justice Edith M. Campbell was born in the Outaouais and raised in the Laurentians, Quebec. She obtained her licence en droit civil (LL.L.), magna cum laude, and her LL.B., cum laude, from the University of Ottawa in 1995 and 1996. Possessing an interest in constitutional (Charter) and criminal law, Justice Campbell chose a career path within the public service. As a result of this decision, she feels very fortunate to have had the opportunity to appear before courts in many areas of the country, including two territories and five provinces.
A litigator at heart, between 1996 and 2010, Justice Campbell worked with the Quebec and Yukon Regional Offices of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC), as well as with the PPSC's Competition Law Section. As a prosecutor, she had the opportunity to handle criminal matters throughout the Yukon and was assigned to circuit court in communities including Pelly Crossing, Carmacks, Watson Lake, and others. In 2010, Justice Campbell transitioned her practice area from criminal prosecutions to civil litigation. Since then, she has conducted files for the Atlantic Regional Office and the Northern Regional Office of the Department of Justice Canada. Throughout her career, she has litigated at both the trial and appellate court levels.
Justice Campbell first moved to the Yukon in 2003 and, after practicing in different parts of the country, returned to Whitehorse with her family in 2013. Her volunteer experience in the Yukon includes serving as a school trustee and Vice-President of the Yukon Francophone School Board. In addition to being a busy mother, she enjoys spending time outdoors, especially when she is mountain biking or alpine skiing. Justice Campbell is fluent in both official languages.
Excerpts from Justice Campbell's judicial application will be available shortly.
Quick Facts
- In 2017, the Minister of Justice made 100 appointments and elevations – the most a Minister of Justice has made in one year in at least two decades.
- Of these appointees, half are women, four are Indigenous, and 16 have self-identified as a member of a visible minority population, LGBTQ2, or a person with a disability.
- The Government of Canada is committed to promoting access to justice for all Canadians. To improve outcomes for Canadian families, Budget 2018 proposes $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.
- In addition, Budget 2018 proposes funding for a further seven judicial positions in Saskatchewan and Ontario, at a cost of $17.1 million over five years.
- The funding outlined in Budget 2018 comes on top of resources allocated under Budget 2017, which created 28 new judicial positions across the country.
- Additionally, the Government will ensure that a robust process remains in place to allow Canadians to voice their concerns and submit complaints about judicial conduct to the Canadian Judicial Council and the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs. This investment of $6.0 million over 2 years, beginning in 2018-19, will support the judicial discipline process through which allegations of judicial misconduct are investigated.
- 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.
SOURCE Department of Justice Canada
media may contact: David Taylor, Office of the Minister of Justice, 613-992-4621; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]
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