FEDERAL COURT OF APPEAL JUDICIAL APPOINTMENT ANNOUNCED

Ottawa, October 27, 2006 – The Honourable Vic Toews, Q.C., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment:

The Honourable C. Michael Ryer, partner with the firm of Bennett Jones of Calgary, is appointed a Judge of the Federal Court of Appeal. He replaces Mr. Justice M.E. Rothstein who was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on March 1, 2006.

Mr. Justice Ryer received a Master of Laws from the University of Toronto in 1979 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1974 and Bachelor of Arts in 1970 from the University of Saskatchewan. He was admitted to the Bar of Saskatchewan in 1975 and of Alberta in 1977. For all but two years he has practised with Bennett Jones developing his expertise in the areas of national and international tax law affecting business and individual clients. Mr. Justice Ryer is recognized as an international tax law expert in The World's Leading Lawyers for Business, published by Chambers Global.

This appointment is effective immediately.

- 30 -

Ref.:

Mike Storeshaw
Director of Communications
Minister's Office
613-992-4621