The Commissioner

Marc A. Giroux was appointed Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs on June 21, 2017, reappointed on June 21, 2022.

As Commissioner, he manages a budget of $790 millions, and provides advice and support to approximately 1200 federally appointed judges, and 1100 retired judges and their survivors. He administers the Judges Act and oversees, amongst other things, the appointment process to the Supreme Court of Canada and the superior courts appointments process on behalf of the Minister. At the current time, he also serves as the Executive Director and Senior General Counsel at the Canadian Judicial Council.

Throughout his career, Mr. Giroux has held various positions within the federal government, including those of Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada, Judicial Affairs Advisor to the Minister of Justice, and Chief of Staff to the Minister for International Cooperation. Prior to being appointed to his current position, he was Deputy Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs.

Amongst other things, he has headed Canadian judges’ delegation in several international cooperation projects, including some in Mexico, China, Jamaica, Russia, and Ukraine; he has appeared before various parliamentary committees; he has been a panellist at numerous conferences; and he has lectured at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa. He has significant management experience, and has acquired expertise in the areas of judicial independence, conduct, education and appointments.

Mr. Giroux was called to the bar in 1994 after having graduated from the Faculty of Law, and previously from the Faculty of Arts, of the University of Ottawa.

He is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, the Canadian Bar Association, the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario and the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice.