ONTARIO JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS ANNOUNCED

OTTAWA, May 7, 2004 - Irwin Cotler, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments:

John C. Murray of Toronto is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice. He will be assigned to Milton by the Chief Justice.

Mr. Justice Murray received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto in 1969, and was admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1971.

Prior to his appointment to the bench, Mr. Justice Murray was partner and vice-Chair of Heenan Blaikie, where he practised in the areas of administrative law, labour and employment law, education law, constitutional law and litigation.

Mr. Justice Murray is a former Chair of the Labour Law Section of the Ontario branch of the Canadian Bar Association and former Director of the Advocates Society. At the time of his appointment, he was Editor of the Canada Labour and Employment Law Journal. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a frequent lecturer.

Todd Ducharme of Toronto is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice. He will be assigned to Toronto by the Chief Justice.

Mr. Justice Ducharme received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto in 1986, and a Masters of Law from Yale University in 1991. He also holds a Masters in Political Science from Yale University. He was admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1988, and to the Law Society of British Columbia in 1997.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Justice Ducharme was a sole practitioner. He is certified by the Law Society of Upper Canada as a specialist in criminal law and has appeared before all levels of the courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

Mr. Justice Ducharme has been a Bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada and has chaired several of its committees, including the Professional Regulations Committee. He has also been Director and Assistant Secretary of the Criminal Lawyers Association. He is a frequent lecturer and is a former Adjutant Professor of Law at the University of Alberta. Mr. Justice Ducharme is the first Métis to be appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

Cheryl Lafrenière of Hamilton is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice. She will be assigned to Hamilton by the Chief Justice.

Madam Justice Lafrenière received a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1984, and was admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1988.

Prior to her appointment, she was a partner with the firm of Martin, Martin, Evans, Husband where she practised family law.

Madam Justice Lafrenière has been a member of numerous committees including the Law and Community Committee of Hamilton, the Hamilton Legal Aid Area Committee, the Hamilton Law Association, the Children's Lawyer Panel, the Association des juristes d'expression française de l'Ontario, and the Ontario Superior Court Liaison Committee. She is also a member of the Canadian Bar Association and a past member of its Family Law Executive. Madam Justice Lafrenière is the author of the family law column in the Hamilton Lawyer's Magazine.

These appointments are effective immediately.

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