QUEBEC JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS ANNOUNCED

OTTAWA, April 10, 2012 – The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments:

The Honourable Marie St-Pierre, a puisne judge of the Superior Court of Quebec, is appointed to the Court of Appeal, to replace Mr. Justice J. Chamberland, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of October 11, 2011.

Madam Justice St-Pierre received a Bachelor of Civil Law from the Université de Montréal in 1978. She was admitted to the Bar of Quebec in 1979.

Madam Justice St-Pierre was appointed puisne judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montréal in 2002. Since 2011, she has been the coordinating judge for the district of Terrebonne. Prior to her appointment, she practised with Desjardins Ducharme Stein Monast and with Blain Piché Emery and Associates. Her main areas of practice were administrative law, commercial law and labour law.

Madam Justice St-Pierre was a professor at the École de formation professionnelle du Barreau du Québec from 1981 to 2001. For more than 20 years, she participated in the annual seminar of intensive pleading techniques of the Quebec Bar Association.

The Honourable Clément Gascon, a puisne judge of the Superior Court of Quebec, is appointed to the Court of Appeal, to replace Mr. Justice A. Rochon, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of September 29, 2011.

Mr. Justice Gascon received a Bachelor of Civil Law from McGill University in 1981 and was admitted to the Bar of Quebec in 1982.

Mr. Justice Gascon was appointed to the Superior Court of Quebec in the district of Montréal in 2002. He has been a member of the Commercial Division of the Superior Court in Montréal since 2002 and coordinating judge of that division since 2008. He was co-chair of the annual Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice Judgment Writing Seminar and a speaker in continuing legal education seminars on commercial matters and class actions. Prior to his appointment, he practised with Heenan Blaikie in Montréal. His main areas of practice were civil law and commercial law.

The Honourable François P. Duprat, a lawyer with Robinson Sheppard Shapiro in Montréal, is appointed puisne judge of the Superior Court of Quebec in the district of Montréal, to replace Mr. Justice J.A. Silcoff, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of February 16, 2012.

Mr. Justice Duprat received a Bachelor of Laws from the Université de Montréal in 1982 and was admitted to the Bar of Quebec in 1983.

Mr. Justice Duprat has been an associate with Robinson Sheppard Shapiro since 2003.  He was an associate with Lavery de Billy from 1983 to 2003 and a lawyer with Gasco, Lelarge, Goodhue in 1993. His main area of practice was civil litigation.

Mr. Justice Duprat has been a lecturer with the Quebec Insurance Institute and the Bar of Quebec. He is an author of several papers on developments in insurance law. He is also a member of the Honourable Order of the Blue Goose charitable organization.

The Honourable Gary D.D. Morrison, a lawyer with Heenan Blaikie LLP in Montréal, is appointed puisne judge of the Superior Court of Quebec in the district of Montréal, to replace Mr. Justice C. Gascon, who was appointed to the Court of Appeal.

Mr. Justice Morrison received a Bachelor of Civil Law in 1976 and a Bachelor of Laws from McGill University in 1978. He was admitted to the Bar of Quebec in 1978.

Mr. Justice Morrison has been a partner with Heenan Blaikie since 1997 and was with Lavery de Billy from 1987 to 1995. He was a partner with Buchanan, McAllister, Blakely, Turgeon & Hesler from 1984 to 1987 and associate from 1978 to 1983. He has appeared before all levels of court. His main areas of practice were civil and commercial litigation.

Mr. Justice Morrison is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Canadian Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, the International Association of Defense Counsel, the American Bar Association, the American Society of International Law, the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys and the International Bar Association. He has been recognized in the annual survey by Lexpert and in the 2012 edition of Best Lawyers in Canada. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Governors for the Shriners Hospital for Children in Canada.

The Honourable Marie-Claude Lalande, a lawyer with Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie in Montréal, is appointed puisne judge of the Superior Court of Quebec in the district of Montréal, to replace Madam Justice M. St-Pierre, who was appointed to the Court of Appeal.

Madam Justice Lalande received a Bachelor of Laws from the Université de Montréal in 1988 and was admitted to the Bar of Quebec in 1989.

Madam Justice Lalande has been a lawyer with Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie since 2008. She was counsel and associate vice-president with Sun Life Financial from 1999 to 2008 and with the firm Tutino Potechin in Montréal from 1998 to 1999. She was a lawyer with the Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement in 1996 and with the firm Roy Dagenais Allen from 1993 to 1996. She was a lawyer with the firm Hudon Harris Thomas from 1988 to 1993. Her main areas of practice were insurance law, labour law, regulatory law and energy law.

Madam Justice Lalande has been a member of the Canadian Bar Association since 1989.  She has been Vice-President and Executive Board member of the Université du Québec à Montréal since 2006. She was President and Board Member of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montréal from 2002 to 2007. She had been a lawyer with the Canadian Association of Personal Insurance Companies from 1999 to 2008. She was also a board member of the Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History (Pointe-à-Callière ) from 2005 to 2009.

These appointments are effective immediately.

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Ref.:

• Julie Di Mambro
  Press Secretary
  Office of the Minister of Justice
  613-992-4621

• Media Relations
  Department of Justice
  613-957-4207