MADAM JUSTICE TAMARA SUGUNASIRI – MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CANADA ANNOUNCES JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS IN THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO – By: Upali Obeyesekere – Canada-Sri Lanka NEWS NETWORK
OTTAWA, ON, July 2, 2021 /CNW/ – The Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments under the judicial application process established in 2016. This process emphasizes transparency, merit, and the diversity of the Canadian population, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.
Tamara Sugunasiri, Case Management Master at the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Toronto, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario. Madam Justice Sugunasiri replaces Mr. Justice J.B. McMahon (Toronto), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective February 7, 2021.
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“I wish Justices Black, Smith, Dubé, Presser, Sugunasiri, and Waters every success as they take on their new roles. I am confident they will serve the people of Ontario well as members of the Superior Court.” —The Hon. David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
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Biography
Justice P. Tamara Sugunasiri was born and raised in Toronto. She earned her BA in Philosophy from the University of Toronto. She then pursued an MA in Philosophy from the University of Windsor before obtaining a law degree there. She was called to the Ontario bar in 2000.
At the time of her appointment, Madam Justice Sugunasiri was a Case Management Master at the Superior Court of Justice in Toronto and Hamilton where she presided over civil and bankruptcy matters. She has spoken extensively at legal conferences and is the co-editor of the Ontario Superior Court Practice. She is a member of the court’s Equity, Diversity, and inclusion Committee. In 2020, she founded an Access to Justice Award at Windsor Law to recognize a first-year student who demonstrates a commitment to improving access to justice in Ontario.
Prior to her appointment in 2017 as a Master, Justice Sugunasiri was Senior Counsel at the Department of Justice in Toronto. She practiced in the areas of civil and commercial litigation, administrative and constitutional law and taught civil litigation at Humber College. She also served as Discipline Counsel at the Law Society of Ontario. She has volunteered for various legal and non-legal organizations and has served on several boards including the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario.
Justice Sugunasiri is inspired every day by her wife and kids. She loves to travel, cook, garden, bike and play sports.
Editor’s Note: Madam Justice Tamara Sugunasiri is the daughter of Canadian academic, educator, author, journalist, and poet – Suwanda H. J. Sugunasiri. He is a former education professor at the University of Ontario in Oshawa. Her mother Mrs. Swarna Sugunasiri passed away in 2017.
