Federal Court of Appeal Judicial Appointment Announced

OTTAWA, February 8, 2013 – The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment:

The Honourable David G. Near, a judge with the Federal Court, is appointed a judge of the Federal Court of Appeal to replace Mr. Justice J. M. Evans, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of August 4, 2012.

Mr. Justice Near received a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Allison University in 1976, and a Master of Arts from Queen's University in 1978. He received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor in 1981 and was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1983.

Prior to his appointment as a judge of the Federal Court in 2009, Mr. Justice Near was senior counsel for the Department of Justice Legal Services Unit at Environment Canada from 1990 to 2009. He was seconded as judicial affairs advisor to the Minister of Justice from 2007 to 2009. His main areas of practice were environmental law, constitutional law and Aboriginal law. Prior to that, he was Chief of Staff to the Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs in 1990. He was also Chief of Staff to the Solicitor General of Canada in 1990 as well as Executive Assistant from 1988 to 1989 and Special Assistant from 1986 to 1989. Following his call to the Ontario Bar, he was an associate with Crawford, Farr, Lewis, Worling and Booth from 1983 to 1986 where he practiced criminal and civil litigation.

This appointment is effective immediately.

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