July 6, 2026 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Justice Canada

The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, 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.

Charlene J. Moore, K.C., Chief Executive Officer for the Nova Scotia Legal Aid Commission in Halifax, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia (Family Division) in Sydney. Justice Moore replaces Justice L.A. MacLeod-Archer (Sydney), who resigned effective May 31, 2025.

Quote

“I wish Justice Moore every success as she takes on her new role. I am confident she will serve the people of Nova Scotia well as a member of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.”

— The Hon. Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Biography

Justice Charlene J. Moore, K.C., is from Nova Scotia. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Dalhousie University in 1994 and a Bachelor of Laws from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in 1998. She was called to the Nova Scotia Bar in 1999.

Justice Moore joined Nova Scotia Legal Aid in1999 and had served as Chief Executive Officer of the Nova Scotia Legal Aid Commission since 2022. For 18 years, she practised family and social justice law, including child protection, adult protection, residential tenancies, and Income Assistance and CPP-Disability appeals. She had also advanced equity by supporting social work services for Indigenous and African Nova Scotian clients and by opening NSLA’s first office in an Indigenous community in collaboration with Sipekne’katik First Nation. She received the Queen Elizabeth II Gold and Platinum Jubilee Medals for Nova Scotia (2002 and 2022). She was appointed King’s Counsel in 2019.

Justice Moore frequently contributed to national conversations on the future of legal aid and access to justice. She was an active member of the Association of Legal Aid Plans and the Federal-Provincial/Territorial Permanent Working Group on Legal Aid.

Justice Moore enjoys gardening, hiking, walking with her dog and husband, and spending time with her two adult children.