OTTAWA, ON, July 24, 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.

The Honourable Keith D. Kilback, a Judge of His Majesty's Court of King's Bench for Saskatchewan, is appointed a Judge of Appeal of the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan. Justice Kilback replaces Justice L. Schwann, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective May 31, 2024.

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"I wish Justice Kilback every success as he takes on his new role. I am confident he will serve the people of Saskatchewan well as a member of the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan.". 

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

Biography

Justice Keith D. Kilback was appointed to His Majesty's Court of King's Bench for Saskatchewan in 2021. He attended the University of Saskatchewan, earning a B.A. in 1990 and a J.D. in 1994. He was called to the Saskatchewan bar in 1995 and to the British Columbia bar in 1997 and was appointed King's Counsel in 2018.

Prior to his appointment to His Majesty's Court of King's Bench for Saskatchewan in 2021, Justice Kilback was a partner with Kanuka Thuringer LLP in Regina, practicing in the areas of civil litigation, administrative law, and transportation law. In 2008, he was appointed as an inquest coroner, and has presided over inquest hearings in Saskatchewan. He is a former director of the Canadian Transport Lawyers Association, and was recognized in Best Lawyers in Canada and Lexpert as a leading practitioner in the area of transportation law.

Justice Kilback has appeared at every level of court in Saskatchewan, as well as at the Federal Court, the Tax Court, and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada has appointed more than 760 judges since November 2015. This includes 137 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 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