The Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments under the judicial application process established in 2016. This process emphasizes transparency, merit, and the diversity of the Canadian population, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.
Stephen J. Doucet, a sole practitioner in Bouctouche, is appointed a Judge of the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick, Trial Division, in Miramichi. Justice Doucet replaces Justice F.P. Ferguson (Miramichi), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective October 20, 2021.
Maya Hamou, Hearing Officer with the Department of Justice and Public Safety for the Province of New Brunswick in Fredericton, is appointed a Judge of the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick, Trial Division, in Moncton. Justice Hamou replaces Justice J.P. Ouellette (Moncton), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective April 11, 2023.
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"I wish Justices Doucet and Hamou every success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve the people of New Brunswick well as members of the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick."
-The Hon. Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Biographies
Justice Stephen J. Doucet was raised in the greater Moncton area. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of New Brunswick (History) and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Moncton. He was called to the Law Society of New Brunswick in 1994.
Justice Doucet practised in both official languages during his 29 years as a lawyer, primarily in the fields of family law, estate law and real estate law. He has appeared as counsel before all levels of the New Brunswick courts and before various administrative tribunals, in addition to acting as the Chairperson for the Mental Health Review Board of New Brunswick and member of the New Brunswick Assessment and Planning Appeal Board.
Justice Doucet was involved with the Law Society of New Brunswick. He acted as an Ad hoc Registrar of Complaints, as a guest instructor for the Bar Admission Program, and as a member of the Discipline Committee and Vice-Chair of the Complaints Committee. He has also served as a member of various boards, most recently as the member-at-large for Lutte New Brunswick Wrestling. He was also active with the Canadian Bar Association, having acted as Chair of the New Brunswick Branch of the Small, Solo and General Practise Forum, and later as a National Executive member. In 2023, he was awarded the Queen's Platinum Jubilee medal for his contributions to the Province of New Brunswick.
Justice Doucet resides in the Grand-Bouctouche area with his family
Justice Maya Hamou received degrees from Université de Moncton in 2002 (BSc, Honors Biochemistry) and from the University of Ottawa in 2005 (LLB, cum laude). She was admitted to the Law Society of New Brunswick in 2009.
Justice Hamou embarked on a law career as Commission Counsel for the Cornwall Public Inquiry in 2006. She returned to the East Coast working as agent for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada following admission to the Law Society of New Brunswick in 2009. For close to a decade, she worked with the Civil Litigation Group of the Office of the Attorney General of New Brunswick. She represented the Province of New Brunswick in both official languages before all levels of courts in the province. Since 2019, she has worked as Hearing Officer with the Department of Justice and Public Safety for the Province of New Brunswick. In this role, she conducted emergency hearings pursuant to the Intimate Partner Violence Intervention Act and Small Claims Court adjudications.
Justice Hamou contributed to the profession as Chair of the Public Sector Lawyers Section of the Canadian Bar Association and as member of the Executive of the New Brunswick Branch of the Canadian Bar Association. In addition, she was involved with the Law Society of New Brunswick as member of Council, the Competence Committee, the Bar Admission Course Committee, and the Access to Justice Taskforce. From 2019 to 2022, she sought to ignite a passion for advocacy in students as co-instructor of the Legal Research and Advocacy Course at University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law.
