23 April 2013
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement on the upcoming retirement of Mr. Justice Morris Fish:
“I would like to thank Justice Fish for his many years of service and dedication to the Canadian judiciary. Twenty-five years of service, including more than ten years on the Supreme Court of Canada and fourteen years on the Quebec Court of Appeal is a remarkable achievement.
“The departure of Justice Fish will leave a void on the Supreme Court of Canada. The Government will determine a replacement for Justice Fish in the upcoming months.”
The selection process will be as follows:
- To identify a pool of qualified candidates for appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General will consult with the Quebec Attorney General, as well as leading members of the legal community. Members of the public are invited to submit their input with respect to qualified candidates who merit consideration at www.justice.gc.ca/eng/scc-csc.html.
- The list of qualified candidates will be reviewed by a selection panel composed of five Members of Parliament – including three Members from the Government Caucus and one Member from each of the recognized Opposition Caucuses, as selected by their respective leaders – to review the list of qualified candidates.
- The Supreme Court Selection Panel will be responsible for assessing the candidates and providing an unranked short list of three qualified candidates to the Prime Minister of Canada and the Minister of Justice for their consideration.
- The selected nominee will appear at a public hearing of an ad hoc parliamentary committee to answer questions of Members of Parliament. This is a process that was first established for the appointment of the Honourable Mr. Justice Marshall E. Rothstein in 2006.
“On behalf of all Canadians, I would like to wish Justice Fish the very best in his pending retirement.”
