OTTAWA, June 11, 2013 – The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the members of the Selection Panel to advise on filling the vacancy at the Supreme Court of Canada for the Quebec region arising as a result of the retirement of the Honourable Mr. Justice Morris Fish. The Selection Panel plays a critical role in ensuring transparency and balance in the Supreme Court appointment process.
“Our Government is committed to ensuring the legal excellence and merit that Canadians have all come to expect from our country's highest court,” said Minister Nicholson. “As Canada's final court of appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada is the last judicial resort for all litigants whether individual or government. Its decisions affect the rights and duties of all Canadians and each and every individual judge on the court plays an important role in that process.”
The Selection Panel includes five Members of Parliament, including one from each recognized political party. They are:
- Mr. Jacques Gourde, Conservative Party of Canada
- Ms. Shelly Glover, Conservative Party of Canada
- Mr. Robert Goguen, Conservative Party of Canada
- Ms. Françoise Boivin, New Democratic Party of Canada
- Hon. Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal Party of Canada
The mandate of the Selection Panel is to review and assess a list of qualified candidates put forward by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada in consultation with the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of Canada, the Chief Justice of Quebec, the Attorney General of Quebec and other prominent legal organizations, including the Barreau du Québec and Canadian Bar Association. The Minister has also received public input with respect to candidates who merit consideration.
The selection process will proceed as follows:
- The members of the Selection Panel will meet to review the résumés provided by each candidate as well as a number of reported judgments and publications.
- The members of the Selection Panel will also consult with the Chief Justice of Canada, the Chief Justice of Quebec, the Attorney General of Quebec, the Barreau du Québec, the Canadian Bar Association and, at their discretion, other prominent members or organizations of the legal community.
- All deliberations by panel members and consultations with third parties will be confidential.
- The Selection Panel will provide an unranked list of three qualified candidates to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice for their consideration.
- The Prime Minister and Minister of Justice will select a nominee from that list.
- The nominee will appear at a public hearing of an ad hoc parliamentary committee, a process that was first established for the appointment of the Honourable Mr. Justice Marshall E. Rothstein in 2006 and repeated with the appointments of the Honourable Madam Justice Karakatsanis and the Honourable Mr. Justice Moldaver in 2011 and the Honourable Mr. Justice Richard Wagner in 2012.
Further information on the appointment process is available in the Statement from the Prime Minister issued on April 23, 2013. An online version is accessible at: http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=3&featureId=6&pageId=49&id=5441.
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- Ref.:
Julie Di Mambro
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice
613-992-4621
- Media Relations
Department of Justice
613-957-4207
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