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.
Quote
"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