Roundup: The slow pace of judicial appointments

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In what is a fairly perennial story, there are complaints that delays in the justice system are being caused, in part, by the slow pace of judicial appointments by the federal government. One should probably also point to the fact that provinces continue to under-resource their court systems, but the federal government can wear much of the blame around these vacancies, in large part because of the system that they have chosen to set up in order to make these appointments.

In order to de-politicise these appointments as much as possible, the process involves independent judicial advisory committees vetting applications from lawyers who want to become judges, and those who are highly recommended get passed onto the minister’s office for another round of vetting (which has a political element because the prime minister remains politically accountable for all judicial appointments), before the appointments are finalised.

While this sounds all well and good, the problem is twofold—that the government has a stated desire to appoint more diverse members to the bench, but at the same time, they insist on self-nominations. The problem there is that a lot of people from the diverse communities they draw from don’t feel either qualified to apply, or they simply feel like they won’t get it because of the persistent image of judges as being old white men, and that it will keep replicating itself so they don’t apply. This draws out the process while they wait for more diverse applications, and on it goes. What these committees should be doing is more outreach and going out to nominate lawyers who they feel would do well on the bench—particularly as there is an observed difference in people who are nominated for an appointment like this, and those who apply and get it. But this government refuses to do that kind of outreach work, even when it would net them better, more diverse results, and here we are, with a slower process for these appointments, and mounting complaints that the government is shuffling their feet when it comes to ensuring the benches are filled so that they can deal with the backlog in the courts.

Ukraine Dispatch, Day 324:

Days after Wagner Group mercenaries claim they took the town of Soledar, Ukrainian forces continue to insist that they are holding out, and that it’s a “bloodbath,” with them having killed over 100 Russian troops so far, and that the Russians are just walking over their own bodies to keep fighting.

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau met with the prime minister of Japan to talk about Japan’s G7 presidency, their energy transition, and Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.
  • It has been determined that Canadian parts found on a downed Iranian drone in Ukraine didn’t come from either Iran or Russia, meaning a shadowy supply chain.
  • An Alberta professor is being tasked with looking in to the extent that white supremacy has entrenched itself in the Canadian Forces.
  • The Bank of Canada has named its (likely) first First Nations board member in its 90-year history.
  • Human remains have been found at the site of a former Saskatchewan residential school, with 2000 areas of interest found on ground-penetrating radar.
  • Defence contractors in Canada say they can’t ramp up production without knowing more about what the government’s plans are domestically and with Ukraine.
  • Here’s a look at rising threats and violence toward LGBTQ+ people in Canada.
  • Airline executives, airport authorities and the transport minister all appeared at committee to answer questions about the holiday travel chaos.
  • Ontario’s opposition parties have asked the province’s Auditor General to look into Doug Ford’s Greenbelt changes (though I’m not sure it’s really in her ambit).
  • Danielle Smith claimed she was interfering in the justice system around COVID pardons, then said she wasn’t, and the Crown said she didn’t contact them.
  • Brett House makes the case for more employee ownership of businesses, and calls on the federal government to provide for the structures in legislation.
  • Andrew Leach offers some perspective on “just transition” plans, and why Danielle Smith can’t ignore where the world oil market is headed.
  • Susan Delacourt observes just how apologetic everyone was at transport committee, and yet no one could actually take responsibility.

Odds and ends:

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