The Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the re-appointments of Margaret Bloodworth and Peter Griffin, and the appointment of Martine Turcotte as Chair, to the Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission.
The Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission, also known as the Quadrennial Commission, is established under the Judges Act (the Act) to examine the adequacy of the salaries and benefits of the federally appointed judiciary. Additional information on the Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission is available at quadcom.gc.ca.
Biographies
Margaret Bloodworth of Ottawa is re-appointed as the member nominated by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. Ms. Bloodworth, a native of Winnipeg, received her LLB from the University of Ottawa and was called to the bar in 1979. Ms. Bloodworth had a distinguished career with the federal public service that spanned more than 30 years. She held senior positions with several departments, including serving as Deputy Minister at Transport Canada, National Defence, and Public Safety and as Associate Secretary to the Cabinet and National Security Advisor from 2006 until her retirement in 2008. Ms. Bloodworth is a member of the Order of Canada and received the Public Service of Canada Outstanding Achievement Award and the Vanier Medal of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. She is currently Vice Chair of the Board of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, including Chair of its Nominating and Governance Committee, and Chair of the Canada School of Public Service External Advisory Committee. She has previously served on a number of boards, including the Council of Canadian Academies, where she was Chair, the Ottawa Community Foundation, and Cornerstone Housing for Women.
Peter Griffin of Toronto is re-appointed as the member nominated by the judiciary. Mr. Griffin obtained his LLB from Queen's University's Law School in 1977 and was admitted to the bar in 1980. Mr. Griffin is past Managing Partner at Lenczner Slaght and one of the firm's founding partners. He is widely recognized as one of the top litigators in Canada, particularly in the areas of corporate commercial litigation, class actions, securities matters, insolvency, and professional liability. In some 40 years as a member of Ontario's legal community, he has appeared before all levels of court in the province and before the Supreme Court of Canada. A past President of the Advocates' Society, Mr. Griffin is also a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, where he served as Chair of the Ontario Committee. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and programs on legal issues, including the challenges of cross-border litigation.
Martine Turcotte of Montreal is appointed Chair following her nomination by the other two members of the Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission. Ms. Turcotte has a BCL and LLB from McGill University and an MBA from London Business School. Ms. Turcotte had a distinguished career at BCE Inc. and Bell Canada from August 1988 until January 2020 as corporate and general lawyer, manager, and leader. Rising to the position as Vice-Chair Quebec reporting to the President and Chief Executive Officer, she was responsible for driving the company's business, government and community investment initiatives across Quebec. This followed service as the Executive Vice President Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer. Ms. Turcotte volunteers as a board member with organizations such as McGill University, Théâtre Espace Go, Empire Company Limited / Sobeys, and CIBC. She was named as Advocatus Emeritus by the Québec Bar (2009) in recognition of career excellence, and is a Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada award winner (2005, 2006 and 2007) and Hall of Fame (2008).
Quick facts
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The first Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission was established in September 1999 to implement the requirements set out by the Supreme Court of Canada in 1997 to ensure the financial security of the judiciary, which is a core component of the constitutional principle of judicial independence. Subsequent Commissions were established in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015.
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The Commission consists of three members appointed by the Governor in Council. One member is nominated by the federal Minister of Justice and the other by the judiciary. These two members then nominate a Chair. The Act allows members to be re-appointed for one additional term.
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Under the Act, a new Commission is established every four years to examine the adequacy of judicial salaries and benefits. The Commission provides a report containing its recommendations to the federal Minister of Justice, who has four months in which to respond.
