The Honourable David Lametti, 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.
Karen Jensen, Federal Pay Equity Commissioner at the Canadian Human Rights Commission in Ottawa, is appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in Ottawa. Justice Jensen fills one of the three remaining positions authorized further to the Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1.
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"I wish Justice Jensen every success as she takes on her new role. I am confident she will serve Ontarians well as a member of the Superior Court."
-The Hon. David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Biography
Justice Karen Jensen holds a B.A. from the University of Winnipeg (1982), an M.Ed. in Psychology from the University of Toronto (1988), and an LL.B. from the University of Western Ontario (1992, gold medal).
After clerking at the Supreme Court of Canada, Justice Jensen, who is bilingual, practised in the areas of civil litigation, human rights, and labour and employment law in both the private and public sectors. She was a full-time member of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal from 2005 to 2009, where she adjudicated and mediated human rights disputes in both official languages. She was a partner with Norton Rose Fulbright LLP for many years, holding the positions of National and Local Chair of the Employment and Labour Group. In 2019, she was appointed Canada's first federal Pay Equity Commissioner, where she led a team dedicated to addressing the gender wage gap in the federal sector.
Prior to going into law, Justice Jensen had a career in social work, assisting marginalized populations and women in conflict with the law in both Winnipeg and Toronto. Throughout her career, she has devoted much of her time to mentoring young lawyers, teaching and giving presentations at universities, professional associations and conferences.
Justice Jensen has four wonderful children, and a supportive spouse with whom she has shared the parenting role.
