Nunavut Court of Appeal gets new chief justice

Alberta Judge Ritu Khullar is the new chief justice of the Nunavut Court of Appeal after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced her appointment on Monday.

Khullar had been a judge of Alberta’s court of appeal, but Trudeau named her to three new posts — chief justice of Alberta, chief justice of the court of appeal of Nunavut, and chief justice of the court of appeal for the Northwest Territories, according to a news release from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Chief justices are responsible for providing leadership and overseeing the administration of justice in their courts.

Khullar replaces Judge Catherine Fraser, an Edmonton jurist, who retired. Fraser was the first woman appointed chief justice of a province.

Khullar, an Alberta lawyer from Fort Vermillion, Alta., was appointed to the Court of Queen’s Bench in Alberta in 2017 and was then elevated to the courts of appeal of Nunavut, N.W.T., and Alberta in 2018.

The Nunavut Court of Appeal is different from the regular courts in the territories, the court’s website says. The appeals court sits only about three times a year. A panel of three judges hears appeals of indictable offences from the Nunavut Court of Justice.

Chief justices and associate chief justices are appointed by the Governor General on the prime minister’s recommendation.