OTTAWA,
ON, May 1, 2024 /CNW/ - The Honourable Arif
Virani, 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 Michael Tomka, a Judge of the Provincial
Court of Saskatchewan in
Swift Current, is appointed a
Judge of His Majesty's Court of King's Bench for Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Justice
Tomka replaces Justice N.
Bardai (Saskatoon), who was
elevated to the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan effective April 18, 2024.
Quote
"I wish Justice Tomka every
success as he takes on his new role. I am confident he will serve
the people of Saskatchewan well as
a member of His Majesty's Court of King's Bench for Saskatchewan."
—The Hon. Arif Virani, Minister
of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Biography
Justice Michael Tomka received
his law degree from the University of
Saskatchewan in 1997 and was called to the bar of
Saskatchewan in 1998.
Justice Tomka was appointed to
the Provincial Court of Saskatchewan in 2021. He was initially
appointed to the Meadow Lake Provincial Court, which includes
circuit points in remote Indigenous communities. He proudly served
the northwest region of the province for over two years before
moving to be the resident judge in Swift
Current in September 2023.
Prior to his appointment to the Provincial Court of Saskatchewan, he was in private practice at
McKercher LLP (2018-2021). From 2013 to 2018, Justice Tomka was of Associate General Counsel
at Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) overseeing the company's
litigation and legal departments in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. He served as a Crown Prosecutor with
Public Prosecutions from 2010 to 2012 and was an in-house litigator
at SGI from 2007 to 2010. He started his legal career at Olive
Waller Zinkhan & Waller (1999-2007) eventually becoming a
partner of the law firm. During his career, he has worked
extensively in civil litigation and practiced criminal law as both
a prosecutor and defense lawyer.
Justice Tomka has volunteered his
time to the Provincial Court's Criminal Justice Committee, the Bar
Judicial Council for the Canadian Bar Association, as well as
Saskatchewan Squash and the University of
Regina Alumni Association.
Justice Tomka and his wife,
Bonnie, are the proud parents of two young children aged six and
seven.
Quick Facts
- The Government of Canada has
appointed more than 730 judges since November 2015. This includes 103 appointments
since the Honourable Arif Virani became Minister of Justice and
Attorney General of Canada on
July 26, 2023. These exceptional
jurists represent the diversity that strengthens Canada. Of these judges, more than half are
women, and appointments reflect an increased representation of
racialized persons, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+, and those who
self-identify as having a disability.
- To support the needs of the courts and improve access to
justice for all Canadians, the Government of Canada is committed to increasing the capacity
of superior courts. Budget 2022 provides for 22 new judicial
positions, along with two associate judges at the Tax Court of
Canada. Along with the 13
positions created under Budget 2021, this makes a total of 37 newly
created superior court positions. Since Budget 2017, the government
has funded 116 new judicial positions.
- Changes to the Questionnaire for Federal Judicial Appointments
were announced in September 2022. The
questionnaire continues to provide for a robust and thorough
assessment of candidates but has been streamlined and updated to
incorporate, among other things, more respectful and inclusive
language for individuals to self-identify diversity
characteristics.
- Federal judicial appointments are made by the Governor General,
acting on the advice of the federal Cabinet and recommendations
from the Minister of Justice.
- 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.
- 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.
- The Government of Canada is
committed to promoting a justice system in which sexual assault
matters are decided fairly, without the influence of myths and
stereotypes, and in which survivors are treated with dignity and
compassion. Changes to the Judges Act and Criminal
Code that came into force on May 6,
2021, mean that in order to be eligible for appointment to a
provincial superior court, candidates must agree to participate in
continuing education on matters related to sexual assault law and
social context, which includes systemic racism and systemic
discrimination. The new legislation enhances the transparency of
decisions by amending the Criminal Code to require that
judges provide written reasons, or enter them into the record, when
deciding sexual assault matters.
SOURCE Department of Justice
Canada