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 the diversity of the Canadian population, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.
The Honourable Karen Horsman, a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Vancouver, is appointed a Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia. Justice Horsman replaces Justice M. Saunders (Vancouver), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective January 1, 2022.
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"I wish Justice Horsman success as she takes on her new role. I am confident she will service the people of British Columbia well as a member of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia."
-The Hon. David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Biography
Justice Karen Horsman was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 2018. She received her LL.B. from the University of British Columbia in 1992.
At the time of her appointment to the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Justice Horsman was a barrister with the Ministry of the Attorney General, where she served initially in the general civil litigation group and later in the constitutional and administrative law group. Prior to completing her articles with the British Columbia Ministry of the Attorney General, she had clerked at the British Columbia Supreme Court.
Justice Horsman's legal practice covered a wide range of subjects, from personal injury actions in provincial small claims court to major constitutional litigation that has progressed to the Supreme Court of Canada. She frequently appeared as counsel at all levels of court in British Columbia and at the Supreme Court of Canada. She was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2014.
Justice Horsman has been a co-editor and contributing author for the textbook Government Liability: Law and Practice. She has also taught as an adjunct professor at the Allard School of Law. Throughout her career, she has been a frequent volunteer contributor to legal education programs on a diverse array of topics, including appellate advocacy, constitutional litigation, class actions, administrative law, and mentoring in the legal profession.
