Malcolm Rowe officially appointed to Supreme Court of Canada
Rowe becomes 1st N.L. Supreme Court of Canada justice
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has officially appointed Newfoundland and Labrador Justice Malcolm Rowe to the Supreme Court of Canada, effective immediately.
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Rowe is the first appointment under the federal government's new Supreme Court selection process, which established to "promote greater openness, transparency and accountability."
"The appointment of this remarkable legal expert is the culmination of a new more open, non-partisan selection process which is yet another example of democracy in action," Trudeau said in a statement released Friday.
"I wish Justice Rowe every success in the new job and look forward to seeing his rulings on important issues affecting Canadians."
Chief Justice of Canada Beverley McLachlin also supported Rowe's appointment.
"I am delighted by Justice Rowe's appointment," she said in a statement.
"The Court will benefit greatly from his long experience as a judge, lawyer and public servant."
Rowe will fill the vacancy left by Nova Scotia Justice Thomas Cromwell, who retired Sept. 1.
1st from N.L.
Rowe was first appointed as a trial judge in 1999 and has sat on the province's court of appeal since 2001.
He has worked for both the federal and provincial governments and been involved with constitutional matters, foreign relations and negotiation of conventional law through the United Nations.
The appointment is historic in that Newfoundland and Labrador has never had a representative on the Supreme Court since it joined Confederation in 1949.