The Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment under the judicial application process established in 2016. This process emphasizes transparency, merit, and diversity, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.
Marc E. Smith, a partner at Forget Smith Barristers in Ottawa, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario. Mr. Justice Smith replaces Mr. Justice R.N. Beaudoin (Ottawa), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective September 9, 2019.
Biography
Justice Marc E. Smith was the co-founder and principal of the law firm Forget Smith, a civil litigation firm with offices in Ottawa and Toronto. He obtained a Business Administration degree in 1991 and an LL.B. in 1994 (French Common Law), both from the University of Ottawa. He was called to the bar in 1996.
Justice Smith's litigation practice specialized in dealing with insurance-related issues, personal injury, commercial disputes, and professional negligence. He has argued cases in both official languages before the Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Licence Appeal Tribunal, and the Financial Services Commission of Ontario.
In 2018, Justice Smith was appointed to the Attorney General's Access to Justice in French Advisory Committee, a permanent committee providing advice and guidance to the Attorney General of Ontario on strategies related to access to justice in French. That same year, he was appointed president of a subcommittee responsible for assessing the lack of bilingual services offered in French by lawyers and paralegals.
Justice Smith has been an active member of l'Association des juristes d'expression française de l'Ontario (AJEFO) since 1994. In 2018, he became the treasurer for AJEFO. In 2015, he co-created and was a lecturer for an annual French litigation conference for AJEFO titled ''Atelier de plaidoirie en français.''
Justice Smith was born in Sudbury and raised in Ottawa and Toronto. He is married and has been actively involved in raising three children.
Quick facts
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At the Superior Court level, more than 350 judges have been appointed since November 2015. These exceptional jurists represent the diversity that strengthens Canada. Of these judges, more than half are women, and appointments reflect an increased representation of visible minorities, Indigenous, LGBTQ2S and those who self-identify as having a disability.
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The Government of Canada is committed to promoting access to justice for all Canadians. To improve outcomes for Canadian families, Budget 2018 provides funding of $77.2 million over four years to support the expansion of unified family courts, beginning in 2019-2020. This investment in the family justice system will create 39 new judicial positions in Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
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In addition, Budget 2018 provided funding for a further seven judicial positions in Saskatchewan and Ontario, at a cost of $17.1 million over five years.
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Federal judicial appointments are made by the Governor General, acting on the advice of the federal Cabinet and recommendations from the Minister of Justice.
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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.
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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
