As you may be aware, the Federal Government announced on 2 August 2016 that a new process for the appointment of Supreme Court of Canada Justices would be coming into effect.

The Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador believes two components of this new process are cause for concern, those being:

1) the fact that the Advisory Board is limited to selecting candidates who are functionally bilingual; and
2) the potential for the next appointee to the Supreme Court of Canada to be selected from a region other than Atlantic Canada.

These concerns are outlined in detail in the letters below, which have been sent to Prime Minister Trudeau, Minister Wilson-Raybould and Federation of Law Societies’ President, Mr. Jeff Hirsh, on behalf of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador.

16 August 2016 – Letter to Jeff Hirsh
16 August 2016 – Letter to Prime Minister and Minister of Justice