Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces a judicial appointment to the Tax Court of Canada

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 19, 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.

Marcela S. Aroca, Partner at Legal Focus LLP in Windsor, is appointed a Judge of the Tax Court of Canada. Justice Aroca replaces Justice G. St-Hilaire, who was appointed Chief Justice of the Tax Court of Canada effective June 17, 2024.

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"I wish Justice Aroca every success as she takes on her new role. I am confident she will serve Canadians well as a member of the Tax Court of Canada."

—The Hon. Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Biography

Justice Marcela S. Aroca received a B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Windsor (1991) and a J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School (1994). She was called to the Ontario Bar in 1996.

Justice Aroca first practiced in Toronto before moving to Windsor in 1999. She has significant experience in tax and estate litigation and planning. She has been counsel in high profile tax and estate cases before the Tax Court of Canada, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Ontario Court of Appeal, and Federal Court of Appeal. At the time of her appointment to the Tax Court of Canada, she was a senior partner at Legal Focus LLP, a firm she co-founded with her husband of 29 years, Stephen Yoker.

Justice Aroca is deeply committed to legal education. She was an Adjunct Professor and the Director of the Advocacy and Mooting Program at the University of Windsor. She has taught Income Taxation, Advanced Taxation and Contracts since 2007, and supervised numerous tax research projects. She has a legacy of team successes as the coach of the University of Windsor Bowman Tax Moot team. She served as an articling principal for many years and was a frequent author, lecturer and panelist. She holds a Trusts and Estates Practitioner designation. She is a seven-time recipient of the SLS Justice Abbey Award for Outstanding Special Lecturer and the 2022 Builders of Windsor Law Award recipient for significant contributions to Windsor Law.

Justice Aroca and her husband are the proud parents of three exceptional children, Madison, Callum, and Lara.

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada has appointed more than 815 judges since November 2015. This includes 189 appointments since the Honourable Arif Virani became Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada on July 26, 2023, a pace of appointments that has no precedent in Canadian history. 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 provided 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