Backgrounder

Members of the Advisory Committee on Supreme Court of Canada Appointments

As part of the new Supreme Court of Canada appointments process announced by the federal government in April 2005, an Advisory Committee will assess candidates to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Honourable Mr. Justice John C. Major, which takes effect on December 25, 2005.

The Advisory Committee includes a Member of Parliament from each recognized party, a retired judge and, from the region where the vacancy arises, a nominee of the provincial Attorneys General, a nominee of the law societies and two prominent Canadians who are neither lawyers nor judges. A new Advisory Committee will be formed each time a Supreme Court vacancy occurs. The retirement of Justice Major creates a vacancy from the Prairie Region.

Members of the current Advisory Committee are:

Anita Neville (Liberal Party of Canada)
Member of Parliament, Winnipeg South Centre

Prior to her election, Anita Neville was employed as an Economic Development Consultant for the Province of Manitoba. She also served as Director of WORKFORCE 2000, a provincial skills training program and Director of the Winnipeg Core Area Initiative Employment and Training Program.

She was elected a Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Centre in November of 2000 and re-elected in June of 2004. She is currently Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Status of Women with special emphasis on status of women. She is also chair of the Women's Caucus.

Vic Toews (Conservative Party of Canada)
Member of Parliament, Provencher

Mr. Toews graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a bachelor's degree in History in 1973 and received a bachelor of laws from the University of Manitoba in 1976. He was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1977 and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1991.

Mr. Toews practised law with the provincial Department of Justice and in 1987 was appointed Director of Constitutional Law for the Province of Manitoba. He was elected to the Manitoba Legislative Assembly in 1995 and was appointed Attorney General and Minister of Justice for Manitoba in 1997.

He was elected as the Member of Parliament for Provencher in November of 2000 and was re-elected in June of 2004. He currently serves as Justice Critic for the Official Opposition and is Vice-Chair of the Manitoba Conservative Caucus.

Richard Marceau (Bloc Québécois)
Member of Parliament, Charlesbourg – Haute-Saint-Charles

Richard Marceau has been the Member of Parliament for Charlesbourg – Haute-Saint-Charles since June 1997. He is a lawyer and a member of both the Quebec and Ontario bars. He is a graduate of the École nationale d'administration in Strasbourg, and holds degrees in civil law from Laval University and in common law from the University of Western Ontario. He is also the official spokesperson on justice issues for the Bloc Québécois and Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Justice, Human Rights, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

Joe Comartin (New Democratic Party of Canada)
Member of Parliament, Windsor-Tecumseh

Joe Comartin received a Bachelor of Arts in 1968 and a bachelor of laws in 1971, both from the University of Windsor. He is a founding member and Chair of the Windsor-Essex Community Homes and co-founder of the CAW Development Group, which focused on establishing affordable housing, child care and medical services.

Mr. Comartin was elected Member of Parliament for Windsor-St. Clair in November of 2000 and re-elected in 2004 in the newly distributed riding of Windsor-Tecumseh. He's the federal NDP critic for Justice, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Solicitor General and the Great Lakes Eco-system.

Allan McEachern (nominee from the Canadian Judicial Council)

Mr. McEachern received a Bachelor of Arts in 1949, a bachelor of laws in 1950 and an honorary doctor of law degree in 1990, all from the University of British Columbia. He was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1951. He practised law with the firm Russell & DuMoulin from 1950 until his appointment to the bench in 1979. He was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 1979 and Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal of British Columbia in 1988, where he served until his retirement in 2001.

Since his retirement, he has returned to practice law at his former firm, now called Fasken Martineau DuMoulin. He was elected Chancellor and member of the Board of Governors for the University of British Columbia in 2002 and again in June of 2005.

W. Brent Cotter, Q.C. (nominee from the Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba provincial Attorneys General)

Mr. Cotter received a bachelor of commerce from the University of Saskatchewan in 1971, a bachelor of laws in 1974 and a Master of Laws in 1977, both from Dalhousie University. From 1977 to 1982, he taught at Dalhousie Law School and served terms as Associate Dean and as Executive Director of Dalhousie Legal Aid Service.

From 1992 until 1997, Mr. Cotter served as Deputy Minister of Justice and Attorney General for the Province of Saskatchewan. In July of 1997, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs as well as Deputy Provincial Secretary. Mr. Cotter was named Dean of the University of Saskatchewan College of Law on July 1st, 2004.

Garth Smorang, Q.C. (nominee from the Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba law societies)

Garth Smorang is the current president of the Law Society of Manitoba. He has served as an elected Bencher of the Society since 1998. He is a partner with the firm of Myers Weinberg LLP in Winnipeg where he practices primarily in the area of labour relations and employment law. Mr. Smorang has appeared as counsel at all levels of the Courts in Canada. He is a past president of the Manitoba Bar Association and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1995.

Chester Cunningham (nominee from the Minister of Justice, as a prominent Canadian who is neither a lawyer nor a judge)

Chester Cunningham is a humanitarian and educator whose personal convictions about justice and equality have improved the quality of life for Aboriginal Peoples in Alberta, across Canada and around the world.

In recognition of his devotion and determination, Mr. Cunningham has received many awards and honours including the Queen's Medal for Achievement, Honorary Chief of the Peigan Tribe and the Alberta Order of Excellence. In 1985, he received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Alberta and was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 1993.

Barbara Pollock (nominee from the Minister of Justice, as a prominent Canadian who is neither a lawyer nor a judge)

Barbara Pollock is Vice-President (External Relations) at the University of Regina. She holds bilingual degrees from the University of Regina in Arts and Education. Prior to joining the University, she was a teacher and also operated POLMAC Communications.

In the past, Ms. Pollock has served on numerous boards and committees including as National President of the Canadian Public Relations Society, Director of the Leader-Post Foundation, Chair of the Saskatchewan Arts Board and Chair of Tourism Regina. She is currently a member of the mayor's taskforce on Regina's future.

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Department of Justice Canada
October 2005