New judge appointed to Yukon Supreme Court

The federal government has appointed thefirst woman to be a residentYukon Supreme Court judge.

Edith Campbell, a longtime federal prosecutor in Yukon, was named to the post on Thursday by federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould.

Campbell was appointed under the new judicial application process announced by Ottawa in 2016. She fills a new position at the YukonSupreme Court, joining JusticeRon Veale(the court's senior judge) and Justice Leigh Goweras resident judges.

Campbell worked for many years with the regional offices of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada in Quebec and Yukon, and first moved to Yukon in 2003. As a prosecutor in the territory, she has been assigned to circuit court in several communities outside of Whitehorse.

Campbell isbilingual, and has served as vice-president of the Yukon Francophone School Board.

Yukon Justice Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee said Campbell's fluency in French "will serve Yukoners well."

"We currently have to bring judges from outside, if there's a trial at the Supreme Court level that needs to proceed in French. So that will be a great benefit for us," McPheesaid.

"I'm very excited for her, and for the Yukon territory. It's a great addition to our bench."