The Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society (“FACL BC”) expresses its warmest congratulations to Judge Grace Oh on her appointment to the Provincial Court of BC and to Justice Phuong T.V. Ngo on her appointment to the Federal Court. To the best of FACL BC’s knowledge, Judge Oh is the first Judge of Korean descent and the first female Judge of East Asian descent to serve on the BC Provincial Court judiciary. Justice Ngo is the first Justice of Vietnamese descent to sit on the Federal Court. 

Judge Oh worked as Crown Counsel with the BC Prosecution Service for the last 25 years where she appeared before the Supreme Court, the Youth Court, and the Downtown Community Court. She was appointed to the Provincial Court of BC in November 2022 and was sworn in at the beginning of 2023. 

On December 4, FACL BC board members attended her welcome ceremony at the Surrey Provincial Court where she was applauded by her colleagues and by pan-Asian-Canadian legal communities as a talented, versatile, and compassionate addition to the bench. FACL BC thanks the Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch for their invitation to provide congratulatory remarks and to Mylene de Guzman for reading these remarks to the Court and to Judge Oh. 

Justice Ngo is a Vietnamese-Canadian who immigrated as a young child with her family. She was appointed to the Federal Court in September 2023 following a successful career as a partner at Gowling WLG in Ottawa. Justice Ngo practiced in both English and French with a focus on the fields of procurement law and health law. Justice Ngo was widely recognized for her legal work as a leading practitioner in procurement law by Lexpert, Chambers Canada, Best Lawyers in Canada, and Legal 500. 

FACL BC is proud to see the accomplishments of these distinguished Asian-Canadian women recognized and is heartened by their appointments to their respective courts. A diverse bench that reflects Canada’s diverse communities and their lived experiences increases public trust and confidence in the judiciary and improves the administration of justice. FACL BC thanks Judge Oh and Justice Ngo for their contributions to the legal field and we look forward to seeing them thrive in their new positions.