Roundup: The next SCC justice

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Stephen Harper surprised pretty much everyone when he suddenly announced that the next Supreme Court justice will be Suzanne Côté, a Quebec litigator and the first woman to be appointed to the top court directly from private practice. Côté is known for her expertise commercial contracts, banks, bankruptcy, shareholder disputes, real estate law and the Competition Act, and yes, the Quebec Civil Code. What is different this time is that there was no parliamentary process when it comes to vetting the appointment in any way, or in drawing up a short list, after the disaster that was the Nadon appointment. While the government insists that they were concerned about leaks, the opposition parties have consistently insisted that any leaks came from the government side. Carissima Mathen gives some of her thoughts on the appointment.

Good reads:

  • The NDP have apparently suspended their lawsuit against the Board of Internal Economy regarding the repayment for their mailings and satellite offices pending settlement negotiations, but that may also be in dispute.
  • The NDP MP who made the harassment claim against Massimo Pacetti says she now regrets saying anything to Justin Trudeau. Scott Andrews’ constituents want more information before they come to any conclusion. A former MP colleague of Pacetti’s says that she’s never known him to be anything but a gentleman, if a bit flirtatious.
  • Two former Hill journalists from the 1980s describe the harassment (and in one case assault) that they faced.
  • Michael Sona is launching an appeal and his lawyer hopes to get him out on bail. My question is why he’s in a maximum-security facility when he’s not violent.
  • Aaron Wherry ponders Justin Trudeau’s talk with Maryland governor Martin O’Malley about data-driven policy.
  • Questions have been raised as to why a government appointment to the Montreal Port Authority was allowed to remain on the job after being named in the Charbonneau Commission for illegal fundraising.
  • The government created the market for medical marijuana producers, and now wants to clamp down on how they advertise.

Odds and ends:

Jian Ghomeshi’s lawyer is also involved in one of the Dean Del Mastro cases.