Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces a judicial appointment to the Federal Court

OTTAWA, ON, March 3, 2025 /CNW/ - The Honourable Arif Virani, 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.

Danielle Ferron, Partner at Langlois Lawyers LLP in Montréal, is appointed a Judge of the Federal Court. Justice Ferron replaces Justice V. Rochester, who was elevated to the Federal Court of Appeal on January 26, 2024.

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"I wish Justice Ferron every success as she takes on her new role. I am confident she will serve Canadians well as a member of the Federal Court."

—The Hon. Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Biography

Justice Danielle Ferron holds a civil law degree from the Université de Montréal and was called to the Barreau du Québec in 1993.

Justice Ferron became a partner at Langlois Lawyers LLP in 2011, where she practised in the area of civil and commercial litigation, including civil fraud, banking litigation, cybersecurity, intellectual property, piracy, and shareholder disputes. She is renowned for her skills in seizures before judgment, as well as in Anton Piller, Mareva, and Norwich injunctions and orders—on which she coauthored a book of doctrine published in 2009. She has also developed expertise in the field of corporate governance. In 2016, Justice Ferron received the distinction of Emeritus Lawyer from the Barreau du Québec.

Over the years, Justice Ferron has shared her knowledge and experience through numerous publications and conferences across Canada; she also taught the "Droit des enquêtes civiles" course—which covers the legal framework for the collection and presentation of evidence in civil trials—at the Faculty of Continuing Education of the Université de Montréal. She has also been active in the law community and in her own community. She was a board member of the Young Bar of Montreal, the Association des femmes en finance du Québec, La Financière Agricole du Québec, and the Marie-Vincent Foundation.

Justice Ferron has been happily married to her husband for almost 30 years. They are the proud parents of two young adults: Michael and Thomas.

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada has appointed more than 850 judges since November 2015. This includes 223 appointments since the Honourable Arif Virani became Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada on July 26, 2023, a pace of appointments that has no precedent in Canadian history. These exceptional jurists represent the diversity that strengthens Canada. Of these judges, more than half are women, and appointments reflect an increased representation of racialized persons, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+, and those who self-identify as having a disability.
  
  
• To support the needs of the courts and improve access to justice for all Canadians, the Government of Canada is committed to increasing the capacity of superior courts. Budget 2022 provided for 22 new judicial positions, along with two associate judges at the Tax Court of Canada. Along with the 13 positions created under Budget 2021, this makes a total of 37 newly created superior court positions. Since Budget 2017, the government has funded 116 new judicial positions.
  
  
• Changes to the Questionnaire for Federal Judicial Appointments were announced in September 2022. The questionnaire continues to provide for a robust and thorough assessment of candidates but has been streamlined and updated to incorporate, among other things, more respectful and inclusive language for individuals to self-identify diversity characteristics.
  
  
• 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

Contacts: For more information, media may contact: Chantalle Aubertin, Deputy Director, Communications, Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, 613-992-6568, [email protected]; Media Relations: Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]