This release was issued under a previous government.

“I am thrilled that Alberta is receiving four new appointments to the Court of Queen’s Bench immediately, plus funding for 12 additional judges in the new federal budget. These judges are desperately needed in Alberta and will improve access to justice for Albertans, while relieving pressures on our courts.

“I have been advocating for more judges on Alberta’s superior courts since I was elected. This is what effective advocacy looks like, and I’d like to thank the federal government for being willing to meet us at the table, hear our concerns and take meaningful action.

“The former Conservative governments in both Ottawa and Alberta failed to deliver on this important part of our justice system. The federal government has only created two new Queen’s Bench positions and one Court of Appeal position in Alberta since 1996. Since this time, the backlogs in our system have been growing steadily.

“I look forward to continuing to work with my federal counterpart, Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, as the remaining vacancies and 12 additional positions are appointed to. Congratulations to our new federal justices.”

Quick facts

  • In October 2016, the Alberta government created nine additional positions on the Court of Queen’s Bench and one additional position on the Court of Appeal.
  • The federal appointments announced on March 24 include one Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench in Red Deer, one in Edmonton and two in Calgary.
  • With these new appointments, the number of judicial vacancies, as per provincial legislation, has been reduced to:
    • Court of Queen’s Bench: 15
    • Court of Appeal: one
  • Our government recently invested $14.5 million for Crown prosecutors and court staff.
  • We have increased funding to legal aid by more than 26 per cent, or approximately $17 million, since 2015.