Federal Court of Appeal welcomes Nicholas McHaffie as a judge
Sean Fraser, federal justice minister and attorney general, announced the following appointments: Nicholas McHaffie as a judge of the Federal Court of Appeal, and Audrey Boctor as a puisne judge of the Court of Appeal of Quebec in Montreal.
McHaffie took the place of Justice Richard Boivin, who resigned as of Sept. 2, 2025. On the other hand, Boctor replaced Justice Stéphane Sansfaçon in Montreal, who elected to be a supernumerary judge last Mar. 3.
Fraser, who also serves as minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, expressed confidence in McHaffie and Boctor and wished them success as they stepped into their new roles.
The federal justice department’s news releases provided more information regarding the judicial appointees joining the Federal Court of Appeal and the Quebec Court of Appeal.
Justice Nicholas McHaffie
McHaffie was most recently a judge of the Federal Court, which he joined in 2019. He has served as a member of the court’s Intellectual Property and Competition Chambers since its establishment in March 2023.
At Stikeman Elliott LLP, he worked at the Ottawa and Toronto offices. His litigation work centred on intellectual property, public law, and administrative and regulatory matters.
McHaffie taught administrative law and civil procedure at the University of Ottawa, as well as civil trial advocacy at Queen’s University.
He earned admission to the Ontario bar in 1996. He clerked for Beverley McLachlin, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.
McHaffie obtained an LLB from the University of British Columbia in 1994 and a BSc in molecular genetics and molecular biology from the University of Toronto in 1990.
Justice Audrey Boctor
In June 2024, Boctor became a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the Montreal district. She replaced Justice Judith Harvie, elevated to the Quebec Court of Appeal in December 2023.
At IMK s.e.n.c.r.l./LLP in Montreal, Boctor joined in 2010 and became a partner in 2016. She appeared before all court levels and argued numerous Supreme Court of Canada cases.
She practised and taught in New York for some time. She also taught civil procedure at McGill University and the Université de Montréal.
Boctor was president of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA)–Quebec. She sat on the boards of the CBA–National and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. She was a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
She joined the Quebec bar in 2010 and the Ontario bar in 2006. Like McHaffie, Boctor clerked for former Chief Justice McLachlin of the Supreme Court of Canada.
Boctor received her civil and common law degrees from McGill University Faculty of Law and her undergraduate degree from Western University.
More news and features on Boctor
Here are some previous features or news involving Boctor.
In August 2022, in Boily v. Canada, 2022 FC 1243, the Federal Court ordered the Crown to pay $500,000 in damages to a Canadian plaintiff who was extradited to Mexico for his prison sentence and then tortured by correctional officers. Boctor was among the plaintiff’s co-counsel.
Back when Boctor was an IMK partner, Canadian Lawyer named her as one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers of 2020.
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