Law Times

Law Times • April 13, 2015 Page 11 www.lawtimesnews.com Lawyer lauds 'fantastic appointment' of Maisonneuve Colleagues full of praise as province names next Ontario Court chief justice By yamri Taddese Law Times s she gets ready to take over the top job at the country's busiest court, Ontario Court Justice Lise Maisonneuve says she's "conscious that there are significant chal- lenges facing our court and the justice system in general." "Clearly, priorities for our court to ad- dress will be improving access to justice, particularly for unrepresented litigants, and the need for innovation and mod- ernization in the justice system," says Maisonneuve, the first francophone and the second woman to take on the role of chief justice of the Ontario Court of Jus- tice after current Chief Justice Annema- rie Bonkalo's term ends May 3. "I am committed to continuing Chief Justice Bonkalo's legacy of making the Ontario Court of Justice an open, fair, and modern court," she says. Maisonneuve, currently the court's associate chief justice, will begin her new role next month. In Ottawa, where Maisonneuve pre- sided over criminal matters for 12 years and served as a regional senior judge of the east region, lawyers say they're con- fident in her abilities despite the tough challenges she'll face. "I think it's a fantastic appointment," says Ottawa lawyer Michael Spratt. "Of course, it's a bit of a disappoint- ment that this means that Justice Mai- sonneuve won't be sitting in trial court because she was always a pleasure to ap- pear in front of," he adds. "But I think that the work that she did in Ottawa in the east region and the work that she's done as associate chief justice makes her the perfect candidate for this appointment." The provincial court hears more than 200,000 criminal cases in addition to millions of provincial offence matters every year. When it comes to family law, it handles more than 20,000 cases a year. As Maisonneuve prepares for her new role, the work at the court isn't slowing down, says lawyer Trevor Brown, presi- dent of the Defence Counsel Association of Ottawa. In fact, the introduction of mandatory minimum sentences will en- sure the court becomes even more hectic, he says. "You'll continue to see more accused persons setting trial dates [because] there's so little to gain for an accused person facing a mandatory minimum penalty by pleading guilty," according to Brown. "That's going to create a backlog that the chief justice is going to have to help address." On top of the backlog, Maisonneuve will have to tackle the thorny issue of the growing number of unrepresented liti- gants in the courts everyday, says Brown. She's also inheriting the need to ensure the courts are keeping up with ever- changing technology. He has confidence the new chief jus- tice can meet the challenge, however. "If there's anyone who can make things happen, who can effect real change, it's Justice Maisonneuve," says Brown. Spratt says Maisonneuve has put pro- grams in place that require counsel to fo- cus on issues and get to the heart of the matter they're bringing to court. Under her watch in Ottawa, the wait for trial "has dramatically reduced," he adds. In announcing the appointment, the Ministry of the Attorney General said Maisonneuve has "distinguished her- self as a leader and innovator" and noted she was responsible for efforts around judicial education and modernizing the courts. "Over an exemplary judicial career, Associate Chief Justice Maisonneuve has earned a reputation as a strong leader, an effective collaborator, and determined advocate for modernization and continu- ous improvement in our courts," said At- torney General Madeleine Meilleur. "I have tremendous confidence in her ability to lead and I look forward to the work we can do together for the jus- tice system and the people it serves," she added. Criminal defence lawyer Norm Box- all, a former president of the Criminal Lawyers' Association, says he found Mai- sonneuve "a tireless worker" in the years he has dealt with her in the Ottawa area. "She's committed to criminal law, she's intelligent, she's forthright," he says, add- ing that in addition to her capabilities as a judge, Maisonneuve has proven her ad- ministrative skills as well. For her part, Maisonneuve says she plans to work with her colleagues, the bar, other courts, and government min- istries "to identify the specific projects and initiatives that will best address these challenges." Before joining the bench, Maison- neuve was a criminal lawyer at Ottawa law firm Carroll Wallace and Maison- neuve. She was also an adviser to the Canadian Forces and the late Supreme Court of Canada chief justice Brian Dickson on military investigations. Mai- sonneuve, a graduate of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, was called to the bar in 1991. LT NEWS Peter Downard's Commitment to You 1. Support for Equality and Diversity 2. Support for Better Access to Justice 3. Support for Balanced Regulation 4. Support for Mentoring and Skills Development www. p e te rd ow n a rd .c a • 41 6 - 8 6 5 - 4 3 69 Fasken Martineau, 333 Bay Street, Suite 2400, Toronto, ON M5H 2T6 Among Peter's supporters are the following distinguished lawyers: Geoff Adair John Campion Brian Gover Bob Harrison Doug Hunt Don Jack Jeff Leon David Lepofsky Jennifer McAleer Will McDowell Eugene Meehan Willy Menninga Mayo Moran Susan Opler Allan Rock Mark Sandler Paul Schabas Peter Wardle "Peter will be an excellent bencher - he will bring to the issues an open mind and will consider all points of view before making his decision." - Derry Millar Peter Downard @Downard4Bencher Untitled-3 1 2015-03-17 10:32 AM A Justice Lise Maisonneuve will replace current Ontario Court Chief Justice Annemarie Bonkalo next month.

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