New Judge Appointed to Territorial Court
YELLOWKNIFE (February 11, 2009) – The appointment of Christine Gagnon as a Judge of the Territorial Court was announced today by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, the Honourable Jackson Lafferty.
“Ms. Gagnon is an outstanding addition to the Territorial Court bench,” said Minister Lafferty. “She has extensive experience before the courts and has appeared in communities across the NWT and Nunavut. As well, she has taught courses in criminal law and worked as a defense attorney. I am very proud that our Territorial Court has been able to attract such a first-rate candidate to serve in this demanding and important role.”Chief Judge Brian Bruser welcomed Ms. Gagnon to the Territorial Court Bench. “This is an excellent appointment and I am confident that Ms. Gagnon will make valuable contributions to the administration of justice,” he said. “The public will be better served now that the Territorial Court is at full strength with four resident Territorial Court Judges.”
Ms. Gagnon graduated from the Universite de Montreal’s Law School in 1986 and was called to the Barreau de Quebec in 1987. She worked in a criminal defense firm in Montreal until 1992 and then opened an office as a sole practitioner in the same city. She taught criminal law part-time at O’Sullivan College’s paralegal program in Montreal for seven years while maintaining her law office. She served as a Crown prosecutor in Iqaluit from 2001 to mid-2006, and then moved to Ottawa for one year to work at the federal Department of Justice headquarters. She has been working as a Crown prosecutor with the Yellowknife Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions since 2007.
The Territorial Court Act establishes the Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee, which reviews applications and recommends candidates for appointment. Ms. Gagnon will be sworn in at a time scheduled by the Honourable Chief Judge Brian Bruser.
For more information, contact:
Megan Holsapple
Communications
Department of Justice
Government of the Northwest Territories
Tel: (867) 920-3130
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