Three new judges were appointed in Saskatchewan this week on the advice of the federal Liberal cabinet.The Hon. Naheed Bardai, a judge of His Majesty’s Court of King’s Bench for Saskatchewan, is appointed a Judge of Appeal of the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan. Bardai replaces Justice R. Leurer, who became Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan on October 5 2023.Rochelle Wempe, Legal Counsel at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan (CPSS) in Saskatoon, is appointed a Judge of His Majesty's Court of King's Bench for Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Justice Wempe replaces Justice R.W. Elson (Saskatoon), who became a supernumerary judge effective November 1 2023.Michael J. Morris, KC, chairperson at the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board in Regina, is appointed a Judge of Court of King's Bench for Saskatchewan in Regina. Morris replaces Justice MD Tochor, who was promoted to Associate Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench for Saskatchewan on November 8 2023.Bardai was appointed to Court of King’s Bench for Saskatchewan in 2020. He earned a degree in Social Sciences and Law from the University of Ottawa. He was called to the Ontario bar in 2001 and to the Saskatchewan bar in 2004.Bardai is fluent in French and English. Prior to his appointment to His Majesty’s Court of King’s Bench for Saskatchewan in 2020, he did civil litigation for law firm MLT Aikins LLP for 15 years. He was previously with the Ottawa law firm of Nelligan O’Brien Payne, where he practiced in the areas of civil litigation, construction and condominium law and participated in trials in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta.Bardai has served as president of the Saskatchewan Trial Lawyers Association and conducted seminars for the Canadian Bar Association’s civil litigation section and the Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education articling student program.Wempe, a law graduate of the University of Saskatchewan and later of the Osgoode Law School, began her career with the Department of Justice Canada and then the Public Prosecution Service of Canada. She practiced civil litigation and administrative law and handled federal prosecutions in all levels of court in Saskatchewan. After being seconded in 2012, she accepted a position as a senior crown prosecutor with Provincial Prosecutions. As legal counsel at CPSS, she practiced professional regulation, policy and governance. Wempe, a married mother with a son, represented complainants in sexual assault trials and volunteered at an inner-city legal clinic to promote access to justice. As a bencher with the Law Society of Saskatchewan, she was a hearing adjudicator and chair of the Discipline Policy Committee.Morris, a married Rotary Club member and father of two daughters, was raised in Regina and obtained a Bachelor of Laws (Great Distinction) from the University of Saskatchewan. He later obtained a Master of Laws from the University of Melbourne, Australia. He was called to the bar in Saskatchewan in 2004.Morris clerked with the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal. He began his career in private practice, focusing on litigation. In 2008, he joined Saskatchewan's Ministry of Justice and worked as a crown prosecutor for several years. He joined the Ministry's Civil Law Branch in 2011 and was Senior Crown Counsel before being appointed as the director of litigation in 2014. He was appointed King's Counsel in 2018, then chairperson of the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board in 2023.The Liberal government has appointed more than 715 judges since November 2015, including 92 since Arif Virani became minister of justice on July 26 2023. Of these judges, more than half are women and efforts have been made to hire more minorities. The new questionnaire for Federal Judicial Appointments, announced in September 2022, called for candidates to self-identify characteristics of diversity.Federal judicial appointments are made by the Governor General, acting on the advice of the federal Cabinet and recommendations from the Minister of Justice. Seventeen Judicial Advisory Committees across Canada play a key role in evaluating applications.Changes to the Judges Act and Criminal Code that came into force on May 6, 2021, say candidates for a provincial superior court must agree to participate in continuing education on matters related to sexual assault law and social context, which includes systemic racism and systemic discrimination.
