https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2018/05/minister-hussen-announces-the-appointment-of-10-citizenship-judges.html
News release
May 17, 2018 – Ottawa, ON – Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Ahmed Hussen, today announced the appointment of 10 citizenship judges.
- Joan Mahoney, full-time judge in Halifax (NS)
- Marie Senécal-Tremblay, full-time judge in Montréal (QC)
- Rania Sfeir, part-time judge in Montréal (QC)
- Hardish Dhaliwal, full-time judge in the Greater Toronto Area (ON)
- Rodney Simmons, full-time judge in the Greater Toronto Area (ON)
- Albert Wong, part-time judge in the Greater Toronto Area (ON)
- Rochelle Ivri, part-time judge in the Greater Toronto Area (ON)
- Suzanne Carrière, full-time judge in Winnipeg (MB)
- Claude Villeneuve, full-time judge in Edmonton (AB)
- Carol-Ann Hart, full-time judge in Vancouver (BC)
All these citizenship judges and their profiles are listed in the
backgrounder. Each judge was appointed to a 3-year term from an open, transparent and merit-based
selection process.
These 10 highly qualified individuals were selected for their embodiment of civic values and their inspirational contributions to their communities and to Canada. Supporting the Government of Canada’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, these individuals will play the important role of fostering a sense of belonging and attachment to Canada for aspiring and new Canadians. Among the appointments is Canada’s first Métis citizenship judge.
Citizenship judges are responsible for making decisions on some citizenship applications, presiding over citizenship ceremonies and administering the oath of citizenship to new citizens. They also play an important role in promoting Canadian citizenship and civic values in their communities.
Citizenship judges are appointed by the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. New appointees are chosen from a list of qualified candidates who have gone through an open, transparent and merit-based
selection process. Candidates for citizenship judge appointments are evaluated against the skills required by the position: judgment/analytical thinking; decision-making; effective communication; cross-cultural sensitivity; and community standing.
Quotes
“I am pleased to welcome these diverse and talented Canadians from across the country as citizenship judges. Each judge, bringing an impressive set of skills and experience, was appointed to promote Canadian citizenship and help build an inclusive society for newcomers and welcome them into the Canadian family. I would like to congratulate all our new judges on their success”.
– The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Quick facts
- There are now 14 citizenship judges across the country, located in Halifax, Montreal, the Greater Toronto Area, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Vancouver and Surrey, British Columbia.
- In 2017, more than 1,400 citizenship ceremonies were held across Canada with some 105,000 new Canadians.
