The Judges’ Section would like to welcome you to a new CBA year and update you on various activities and encourage you to get involved! We continue to look for opportunities to engage and collaborate with other CBA Sections and welcome new ideas from our membership.
This year’s Section Executive Committee is a dedicated group of volunteer judges from all over the country and various jurisdictions, and we want to hear from you!
Upcoming activities
- The Section plans on hosting a webinar on: "The modernization of the justice system: A view from the Bench". Stay tuned for more information.
- Coffee in the Times of COVID is a weekly virtual gathering of small groups of young lawyers and/or law students around a topic of common interest. The Section will be facilitating a session on "Virtual Appearances in the Time of COVID" in the near future.
- Managing reserves is a challenge at all levels of court and a resource tool for the judiciary will be valuable. The Section intends on completing the "Tips for Managing Reserves" booklet project this fiscal to provide guidance and direction for managing reserve decisions. More information to follow.
The work of the Section:
- In partnership with the Women lawyers Section, the Madame Justice Project was established to celebrate diversity on the bench by showcasing advice and perspectives from women judges across the Canada.
- Protecting and supporting Judicial Independence is one of the CBA’s most important mandates. We see the independence of the judicial branch as fundamental to our entire system of law and law-making. Last year the Section worked on a Judicial Independence animated video and resource to educate the public on the importance of judicial independence as a core value of the Canadian legal system. The Section follows developments on the protection of judicial independence country-wide and will be in communication with the CBA for suggested action.
- We encourage you to share the Tips for Courtroom Management guide with colleagues as it’s a great resource. Other resources can be found on our webpage.
Get Involved:
- The CBA Judges Section has several Member-at-Large vacancies on the Executive Committee (term ending August 31, 2021). If you are interested in getting involved, please email our staff liaison, Gathoni Njuguna for more information.
- Would you like to see your article published on under the Vox Judicia banner? Submit an article!
Member Resources:
Please contact us if you have questions, or if you would like to get involved in supporting the work of our Section. We would love to hear from you!
Best wishes,
Your 2020-2021 Executive Committee
Justice Simon Ruel, Quebec Court of Appeal, Chair
Justice Annette J.R. Horst, Court of Queen’s Bench for Manitoba, 1st Vice-Chair
Judge Martin Pelletier, Office of the Chief Military Judge, 2nd Vice-Chair
Judge Sandra L. Corbett, Provincial Court of Alberta, Secretary
Judge Kael P. McKenzie, Provincial Court of Manitoba, Past Chair
Judge Julie Frederickson, Provincial Court of Manitoba, Member-at-Large
Justice Neil Robertson, Court of Queen’s Bench for Saskatchewan, Member-at-Large
Judge Amy Sakalauskas, Provincial Court of Nova-Scotia, Member-at-Large