On Monday, Dean Blachford, our tax dispute resolution and litigation lawyer, attended the (by-invite-only) swearing-in of Justice Gabrielle St-Hilaire to the Tax Court of Canada. Chief Justice Rossiter of the Tax Court presided over the special hearing of the Court. He was joined on the bench by Associate Chief Justice Lamarre, numerous other Tax Court judges and the Chief Justice and Associate Chief Justices of the Federal Court. Many dignitaries shared their admiration for the character and credentials of Justice St-Hilaire and Associate Chief Justice Lamarre spoke about the progress the Court is making in terms of moving towards gender equality on the bench.
Dean was a guest speaker for Justice St-Hilaire when she was a professor at the University of Ottawa and had the opportunity to collaborate with her on various other projects. Dean admires her greatly and is certain that she will be a wise and considerate judge. HazloLaw would like to congratulate Justice St-Hilaire and her family for this incredible accomplishment.