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 Paul R. Sweeny, a judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario, is appointed Regional Senior Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario for the Central South Region. Mr. Justice Sweeny replaces Mr. Justice H. Arrell, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective June 30, 2020.
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"I congratulate Justice Sweeny on his appointment as Regional Senior Judge for the Central South Region. I am confident he will continue to serve Ontarians well in his new role with the Superior Court of Justice."
-The Hon. David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Biography
Justice Paul R. Sweeny received a LL.B. from the Osgoode Hall Law School in 1989 and was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1991.
At the time of his appointment to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in 2015, Mr. Justice Sweeny was a lawyer with the firm Evans Sweeny Bordin LLP in Hamilton, where he had been since 2005. He had previously worked with Evans - Lawyers - Advocates from 1991 to 2004. He practised corporate law, commercial law, civil litigation, and personal injury law.
Justice Sweeny was a member of the Ontario Judicial Council. He is a past director of the Advocates' Society as well as a past member and past president of the Hamilton Medical-Legal Association and of the Hamilton Law Association's Professional Issues Committee. He was a director of Fanconi Canada Inc. and Chair for the legal sector (Hamilton) of the United Way of Burlington and Greater Hamilton.
Quick facts
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At the Superior Court level, more than 400 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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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.
