Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces judicial appointments in the province of British Columbia

From: Department of Justice Canada

November 12, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Justice Canada

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.

The Honourable Geoffrey B. Gomery, a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, is appointed a Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia in Vancouver. Justice Gomery replaces Justice P. Voith, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective September 1, 2024.

Elin Sigurdson, K.C., Associate at Mandell Pinder LLP in Vancouver, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Vancouver. Justice Sigurdson replaces Justice G.B. Gomery (Vancouver), who was elevated to the Court of Appeal for British Columbia effective November 8, 2024.

Quote

“I wish Justices Gomery and Sigurdson every success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve the people of British Columbia well as members of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia and the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

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

Biographies

Justice Geoffrey B. Gomery was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 2018. Upon receiving his LL.B. from the University of Toronto in 1983, he moved to Vancouver, where he articled and later practised law with Davis & Company. He was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1984.

Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 2018, Justice Gomery practised at Nathanson, Schachter & Thompson LLP in 1990 and became a partner in 1992. In 2005, he took a leave of absence from his firm to pursue post-graduate studies at Oxford University, graduating with a Bachelor of Civil Law. He was appointed King’s Counsel in 2010 and became a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in 2018. His practice focused on commercial and administrative litigation, including class actions, pension litigation, commercial arbitration, professional discipline, shareholder disputes and securities matters.

Justice Elin Sigurdson, K.C., was born and raised in Vancouver. She earned her BA and LLB at the University of British Columbia, including a term studying abroad at the University of Leiden, Netherlands. She clerked at the British Columbia Court of Appeal and was called to the bar in 2007. In 2011 she completed an LLM at the University of California, Berkeley.

Justice Sigurdson articled at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin. She joined Arvay Finlay and worked with the late Joseph J. Arvay, KC. She practiced for several years with JFK Law LLP and joined Mandell Pinder LLP in 2016.  Her work has been devoted to litigation of Aboriginal, constitutional, environmental and administrative law issues. She has also acted on diverse public law matters including Law Society investigations, First Nations governance issues, and a complex coroner’s inquiry. The significant public interest cases that have taken her to the Supreme Court of Canada have sought to advance access to justice, respect for collective and individual rights, and protection of vulnerable people.

Justice Sigurdson has spoken frequently on subjects of constitutional law, Aboriginal rights, legal procedure, and the role of lawyers in the process of reconciliation.

Justice Sigurdson and her husband Chris live in Vancouver and have two wonderful children. She is grateful for her loving family and the brilliant close circle of friends with whom she shares a love of music and the arts.

Quick facts

• The Government of Canada has appointed more than 795 judges since November 2015. This includes 172 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.

Contacts
For more information, media may contact:

Chantalle Aubertin
Deputy Director, Communications
Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General
613-992-6568
Chantalle.Aubertin@justice.gc.ca

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

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