OTTAWA,
ON, May 1, 2024 /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.
Sophie Matte, Executive
Director and General Counsel at the Courts Administration Service
in Ottawa, is appointed an
associate judge of the Tax Court of Canada.
Quote
"I wish Associate Judge Matte every success as she takes on her
new role. I am confident she will serve Canadians well as a member
of the Tax Court of Canada."
—The Hon. Arif Virani, Minister
of Justice and Attorney General of
Canada
Biography
Associate Judge Sophie
Matte was born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. She holds a Bachelor of Business
Administration from Université Laval (1993), and a Licentiate of Civil Law
(1996) and a Bachelor of Laws (1997) from the University of Ottawa. She was called to the Quebec
Bar in 1998.
Associate Judge Matte was the Executive Director and General
Counsel of the Tax Court of Canada
where she oversaw the general administration of registry operations
and judicial support services. She first articled and practiced
civil litigation with the law firm Noël & Associés before
joining the Tax Law Directorate at the Department of Justice Canada in Ottawa in 2002. Over the course of her 20-year
litigation career, she has handled a broad range of matters
including contractual and extra-contractual liability, insolvency,
banking and administrative law, with a focus on tax collection. She
has argued cases in both official languages before the Federal
Court, the Superior Court of Quebec and the Court of Quebec. She has also appeared before the
Federal Court of Appeal, the Court of Appeal of Quebec, the Tax Court of Canada, and the Ontario Superior Court.
Associate Judge Matte has served on several Department of
Justice Canada committees and has
been a presenter for various training conferences for the
Department of Justice Canada and
the Canada Revenue Agency. Throughout her career, she has
demonstrated a strong commitment to mentoring law students and
lawyers.
Associate Judge Matte and her husband Paul lead an active life.
Together, they enjoy cycling, mountain biking, hiking, sea
kayaking, and camping.
Quick Facts
- The Government of Canada has
appointed more than 730 judges since November 2015. This includes 103 appointments
since the Honourable Arif Virani became 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