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.  

"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

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.

• 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