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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 293

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 21, 2024 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 293 - Mar/21/24
Mr. Rhéal Éloi Fortin (Rivière-du-Nord, BQ)
  • Mar/21/24 2:57:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a year ago, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court criticized the government on its judicial appointment process. He said, and I quote, “The government's inertia regarding vacancies and the absence of satisfactory explanations for these delays are disconcerting.” Since then, the Liberals have been dragging their feet. There were 85 vacancies; now there are 68. In February, the Federal Court ordered the government to take action. We learned on Monday that, instead of taking action, the Minister of Justice is fighting that ruling in court. When will the minister take the justice system seriously and appoint the judges we need?
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Context: House Hansard - 293 - Mar/21/24
Mr. Rhéal Éloi Fortin (Rivière-du-Nord, BQ)
  • Mar/21/24 2:58:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, doing nothing twice as fast still amounts to doing nothing. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Federal Court are telling the government that the number of vacancies is preventing our justice system from working properly. The Chief Justice of Canada wrote, and I quote, “Access to justice and the health of our democratic institutions are at risk”. It is not just anyone who is saying that. It is the Chief Justice of Canada. Rather than speeding up the appointment process, the Minister of Justice is challenging the Federal Court's decision and looking for excuses for his inaction. Clogging up the courts with political partisanship is not going to solve the problem. Judges must be appointed. What is the minister waiting for? Liberal applicants, perhaps?
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Context: House Hansard - 293 - Mar/21/24
Hon. Arif Virani (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.)
  • Mar/21/24 2:59:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is a rather important question. What I want to point out to all Canadians who are watching right now is that we have never had any former Liberal staffers sit on a committee that recommends judicial appointments. That is not the case in my own province of Ontario, for example. We put measures in place to prevent partisanship, to appoint top-notch judges who reflect the diversity and bilingualism needed by judges, not just in Quebec, but across Canada.
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