Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces judicial appointments in the province of New Brunswick

OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 10, 2023 /CNW/ - The Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments 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.

Stephen J. Doucet, a sole practitioner in Bouctouche, is appointed a Judge of the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick, Trial Division, in Miramichi. Justice Doucet replaces Justice F.P. Ferguson (Miramichi), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective October 20, 2021.

Maya Hamou, Hearing Officer with the Department of Justice and Public Safety for the Province of New Brunswick in Fredericton, is appointed a Judge of the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick, Trial Division, in Moncton. Justice Hamou replaces Justice J.P. Ouellette (Moncton), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective April 11, 2023.

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"I wish Justices Doucet and Hamou every success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve the people of New Brunswick well as members of the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick."

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

Biographies

Justice Stephen J. Doucet was raised in the greater Moncton area. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of New Brunswick (History) and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Moncton. He was called to the Law Society of New Brunswick in 1994.

Justice Doucet practised in both official languages during his 29 years as a lawyer, primarily in the fields of family law, estate law and real estate law. He has appeared as counsel before all levels of the New Brunswick courts and before various administrative tribunals, in addition to acting as the Chairperson for the Mental Health Review Board of New Brunswick and member of the New Brunswick Assessment and Planning Appeal Board.

Justice Doucet was involved with the Law Society of New Brunswick. He acted as an Ad hoc Registrar of Complaints, as a guest instructor for the Bar Admission Program, and as a member of the Discipline Committee and Vice-Chair of the Complaints Committee. He has also served as a member of various boards, most recently as the member-at-large for Lutte New Brunswick Wrestling. He was also active with the Canadian Bar Association, having acted as Chair of the New Brunswick Branch of the Small, Solo and General Practise Forum, and later as a National Executive member. In 2023, he was awarded the Queen's Platinum Jubilee medal for his contributions to the Province of New Brunswick.

Justice Doucet resides in the Grand-Bouctouche area with his family

Justice Maya Hamou received degrees from Université de Moncton in 2002 (BSc, Honors Biochemistry) and from the University of Ottawa in 2005 (LLB, cum laude). She was admitted to the Law Society of New Brunswick in 2009.

Justice Hamou embarked on a law career as Commission Counsel for the Cornwall Public Inquiry in 2006. She returned to the East Coast working as agent for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada following admission to the Law Society of New Brunswick in 2009. For close to a decade, she worked with the Civil Litigation Group of the Office of the Attorney General of New Brunswick. She represented the Province of New Brunswick in both official languages before all levels of courts in the province. Since 2019, she has worked as Hearing Officer with the Department of Justice and Public Safety for the Province of New Brunswick. In this role, she conducted emergency hearings pursuant to the Intimate Partner Violence Intervention Act and Small Claims Court adjudications.

Justice Hamou contributed to the profession as Chair of the Public Sector Lawyers Section of the Canadian Bar Association and as member of the Executive of the New Brunswick Branch of the Canadian Bar Association. In addition, she was involved with the Law Society of New Brunswick as member of Council, the Competence Committee, the Bar Admission Course Committee, and the Access to Justice Taskforce. From 2019 to 2022, she sought to ignite a passion for advocacy in students as co-instructor of the Legal Research and Advocacy Course at University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law.

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada has appointed more than 655 judges since November 2015. The Honourable Arif Virani has made 30 appointments since becoming Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada on July 26, 2023. 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 provides 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

media may contact: Chantalle Aubertin, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Justice, 613-992-6568, [email protected]; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, [email protected]