Former justice Marie Deschamps named to panel overseeing spy agencies


A former Supreme Court justice has been named to a panel overseeing the country's security agencies.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Marie Deschamps will become a member of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency.

Her appointment takes effect at the end of September.

Deschamps served on the Supreme Court for a decade in a long legal career, retiring from the judiciary in August 2012.

Since then, she has conducted a high-profile review of sexual assault and misconduct in the Canadian military, done similar work for the United Nations and chaired a panel advising the government on medically-assisted death.

In her new role, Deschamps will be part of a group tasked with ensuring that more than a dozen federal bodies that have national-security responsibilities are complying with the law.