OTTAWA - Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould is announcing a spate of judicial appointments in the wake of a raft of complaints about vacancies that were resulting in crowded dockets and delayed cases.

The minister has promoted a judge to the Federal Court of Appeal and filled a number of vacancies in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.

In recent weeks, judges, lawyers and politicians have expressed concerns about the number of vacancies and the slow process of replacement.

As of June 1, there were 49 vacancies among federally appointed judicial positions across the country, including 11 each in Alberta and Ontario and nine in British Columbia.

Some of the posts have been empty for more than a year.

There are more than 1,100 federal judicial positions, including supernumerary judges, who are eligible to retire but opt to work part-time.

The latest appointments:

— Judith M. Woods, a judge with the Tax Court of Canada, was named to the Federal Court of Appeal, replacing C.M. Ryer, who resigned last month.

— Marguerite H. Church, a judge of the British Columbia provincial court,was named to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Prince George.

— Lawyer Maria Morellato was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Vancouver.

— Sheilah L. Martin, a judge of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench in Calgary, was appointed a judge of the Alberta Court of Appeal in Calgary. Martin was also appointed to the Court of Appeal for the Northwest Territories and the Court of Appeal of Nunavut.

— Sheila J. Greckol, a judge of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench in Edmonton, was appointed to the Alberta Court of Appeal in Edmonton, as well as to the Court of Appeal for the Northwest Territories and the Court of Appeal of Nunavut.

— John T. Henderson, a judge of the provincial court of Alberta in Edmonton, was named to the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench in Edmonton.

— Lawyer Douglas R. Mah was appointed a judge of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench in Edmonton.

—Lawyer Gillian D. Marriott was appointed a judge of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench in Calgary.

— Lawyer Avril B. Inglis was appointed a judge of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench in Edmonton.

— Jonathon C. George, a provincial court judge of the Ontario Court of Justice in London, was named to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in London.

— Calum U. MacLeod, a case management master of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa, was appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa.

— Lawyer Freya Kristjanson wa appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto.

— Lawyer Sharon Lavine was appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Oshawa.

— Lawyer Lucy K. McSweeney was appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Brampton.

— Eric Downs, a judge of the Court of Quebec in Montreal, was named to the Superior Court of Quebec, district of Montreal.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2016