Government of Canada announces a judicial appointment in the province of Québec

From: Department of Justice Canada

March 6, 2020 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Justice Canada

The Honourable David Lametti, 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 diversity, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.

Claudia P. Prémont, a partner at Brodeur, Prémont, Lavoie, Avocats, in Québec, is appointed a puisne judge of the Superior Court of Québec for the District of Québec. Madam Justice Prémont replaces Mr. Justice C. Bouchard (Québec), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective October 22, 2019.

Philippe Cantin, a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP in Québec City, is appointed a puisne judge of the Superior Court of Québec for the District of Québec. Mr. Justice Cantin replaces Mr. Justice P. Ouellet (Québec), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective December 1, 2019.

Biographies

Justice Claudia Prémont received her Bachelor of Laws degree from Université Laval in 1989. She began her practice at the firm of Gagnon, de Billy, Cantin, Martin, Beaudoin, Lesage, now Lavery. She joined Marie-Josée Brodeur at Tremblay Bois in 1996 and they went on to found Brodeur, Prémont, Lavoie in 1999, where Justice Prémont was still practising at the time of her appointment.

Specializing in family, human rights and estate law, Justice Prémont has argued before the Québec Superior Court and Court of Appeal throughout her career. She is also a mediator and is trained in collaborative law. She is the co-author of specialized works on family law and has published widely on the subject as well as a regular speaker at events for colleagues, the judiciary and litigants.

Justice Prémont was the President of the Québec City bar in 2007 and of the Barreau du Québec from 2015 to 2017, as well as chair of the Family Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association. She has been a member or chair of many committees of the Barreau du Québec. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Centre d’accès à l’information juridique (CAIJ) and President of the Board of Directors of Justice Pro Bono at the time of her appointment. She was awarded the distinction of Lawyer Emeritus in 2010 by the Barreau du Québec and was named a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2018.

Justice Prémont and her husband, Christian, are the parents of one son and two daughters and have recently become grandparents.

Justice Philippe Cantin obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree from Université Laval in 1996 and was called to the Barreau du Québec in 1997. Until his appointment, he was a partner in the firm of McCarthy Tétrault, where he had practised since 2007.

In his legal practice, Justice Cantin argued primarily before the Superior Court of Québec and the Court of Appeal of Québec in the areas of civil law, medical professional liability, disciplinary law, administrative law, and insurance law. He has also published academic articles on civil procedure and has been a speaker at conferences for medical professionals.

Throughout his career, Justice Cantin has been involved in training and mentoring young lawyers. He and his wife, Olga Farman, are proud parents of a young boy.

Quick facts

• At the Superior Court level, more than 350 judges have been appointed since November 2015. These exceptional jurists represent the diversity that strengthens Canada. Of these judges, more than half are women, and appointments reflect an increased representation of visible minorities, Indigenous people, LGBTQ2S, and those who self-identify as having a disability.
• The Government of Canada is committed to promoting access to justice for all Canadians. To improve outcomes for Canadian families, Budget 2018 provides funding of $77.2 million over four years to support the expansion of unified family courts, beginning in 2019-20. 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 provided funding for a further seven judicial positions in Saskatchewan and Ontario, at a cost of $17.1 million over five years.
• 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.

Contacts

For more information, media may contact:

Rachel Rappaport
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice
613-992-6568
rachel.rappaport@justice.gc.ca

Media Relations
Department of Justice Canada
613-957-4207
media@justice.gc.ca

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