News Release — Minister Kenney Announces Winnipeg Citizenship Judge Appointment

Ottawa, May 1, 2013 — Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today the appointment of James C. McCrae as a part-time Citizenship Judge for Winnipeg.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. McCrae was a Brandon City Councillor for six years and Deputy Mayor for one year. A former Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Minister of Constitutional Affairs, Minister of Health and Government House Leader, Mr. McCrae served as an elected member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for thirteen years.

Mr. McCrae studied court reporting in Los Angeles, USA before pursuing a seventeen-year career in Canada as a court reporter and recording debates for Hansard in the Canadian House of Commons. He is also a published writer, a realtor and an active member of the community in his home province of Manitoba.

Citizenship judges are responsible for making decisions on citizenship applications, presiding over citizenship ceremonies and administering the oath of citizenship to new citizens.

Citizenship judges are appointed by the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. New appointees are chosen from a list of qualified candidates who have gone through rigorous screening, including a written exam, reference check and oral interview. Candidates for citizenship judge appointments are evaluated against the skills required by the position: information-seeking, judgment/analytical thinking, decision-making, effective communication, cross-cultural sensitivity, leadership, self-confidence, self-control and writing ability.

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Photos of Minister Kenney are available.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Alexis Pavlich
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

Building a stronger Canada: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) strengthens Canada’s economic, social and cultural prosperity, helping ensure Canadian safety and security while managing one of the largest and most generous immigration programs in the world.