New judges Monahan, Favreau named to Toronto courts

The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, announced the following appointments on May 19.

The appointments were made according to the the new judicial application process announced on October 20, 2016. The new process emphasizes transparency, merit, and diver

sity, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.

Patrick J. Monahan, Deputy Attorney General for the Province of Ontario, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto. He replaces Mr. Justice G.T. Trotter, who was elevated to the Court of Appeal for Ontario on October 19, 2016.

Lise G. Favreau, general counsel with the Ministry of the Attorney General in Toronto, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto. She replaces Mr. Justice L.A. Pattillo, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective January 30, 2017.

Justice Patrick J. Monahan served as Deputy Attorney General for the Province of Ontario from November 2012 until his appointment to the bench. Previously, he had been Provost and Vice President Academic of York University (2009-2012), and Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School (2003-2009). Born in Ottawa to parents of Irish and French-Canadian ancestry, he received degrees from the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, followed by an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School, where he graduated as the gold medalist, and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School. He served as law clerk to Justice Brian Dickson of the Supreme Court of Canada and was a faculty member at Osgoode Hall Law School for over two decades. He was also part-time counsel to a major Toronto law firm for 20 years, acting in a wide variety of public law litigation at all levels of court.

Justice Monahan played a leading role in the establishment of the Law Commission of Ontario, where he was the founding Chair and currently serves on the Board of Governors. His writing has been cited by courts and tribunals in Canada more than 90 times, including 18 occasions by the Supreme Court of Canada. In 2008, he was awarded the Mundell Medal for excellence in legal writing by the Attorney General of Ontario. He and his wife, Monica, live in Toronto and have two adult children.

Excerpts from Justice Monahan’s judicial application will be available shortly.

Justice Lise G. Favreau grew up in a bilingual family in Montreal, speaking both French and English at home. She attended high school and CEGEP in French. She then earned her B.A. in English literature at McGill University and her LL.B. at the University of Toronto. After her call to the Ontario Bar, Justice Favreau practised civil litigation with Blake, Cassels & Graydon in Toronto. In 2003, she joined the Crown Law Office – Civil at the Ministry of the Attorney General, where she represented the Crown at all levels of court, including the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. Her practice included administrative law, tort law, class proceedings, health law, and environmental law. While at the Crown Law Office – Civil, Justice Favreau was a public law team leader. In 2016, she was named general counsel at the Ministry of the Attorney General.

Justice Favreau has been a frequent speaker, including in the areas of administrative law, civil litigation, and ethics. She is fluently bilingual and has conducted litigation in both English and French throughout her career. She has also been a dedicated mentor to younger lawyers and students.

Excerpts from Justice Favreau’s judicial application will be available shortly.

Quick Facts

• Budget 2017 proposes additional funding of $55 million over five years beginning in 2017-2018 and $15.5 million per year thereafter for 28 new federally-appointed judges. Of these new positions, 12 would be allotted to Alberta and one to the Yukon, with the remaining 15 being assigned to a pool for needs in other jurisdictions.
• To ensure a judiciary that is responsive, ethical and sensitive to the evolving needs of Canadian society, the Canadian Judicial Council will receive $2.7 million over five years and $0.5 million ongoing thereafter. This will support programming on judicial education, ethics and conduct, including in relation to gender and cultural sensitivity.
• Today’s appointments are separate from the Budget 2017 announcement.
• 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 Judicial Advisory Committees in ten jurisdictions have been reconstituted. Most recently, Minister Wilson-Raybould announced the composition of three new Judicial Advisory Committees on April 13, 2017.
• This process is separate from the Supreme Court of Canada judicial appointment process announced on August 2, 2016. Nominees to the Supreme Court of Canada are selected by the Prime Minister from a thoroughly vetted list of candidates.