From the Department of Justice Canada
The Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment 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.
J. Gareth Morley, Senior Counsel at the Ministry of the Attorney General of British Columbia in Victoria, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Victoria. Justice Morley replaces Justice J. Steeves (Victoria), who resigned effective June 11, 2022.
I wish Justice Morley every success as he takes on his new role. I am confident he will serve British Columbians well as a member of the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
—The Hon. Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Biography
Justice J. Gareth Morley was born in Toronto and grew up in Victoria. He has a B.A. from the University of Victoria, an LL.B. from the University of Toronto, and an LLM. from Osgoode Hall Law School. He was called to the bar in Ontario and British Columbia in 1999.
Justice Morley has been with the British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General, Legal Services Branch since August 1999. He has worked in litigation, giving advice and legislative drafting. Most recently, he has been Senior Counsel providing advice and representing the British Columbia government in constitutional matters. He has been a strong advocate for the role of government lawyers in promoting the rule of law. He was active in the BC Government Lawyers Association for twenty years, serving as its President since 2019. He has published a number of law review articles and is the co-editor, with Justice Karen Horsman, of Government Liability: Law and Practice. He has taught Canadian constitutional law at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops.
Justice Morley lives with his spouse, Melanie Mortensen, and is the proud father of Leda, Mikias and Yohannes.