Overview
- Justice Minister Sean Fraser said he will keep the current independent advisory process for appointing judges and cautioned against political pressure over court resources.
- Premier Danielle Smith is seeking a formal role through a four-member advisory committee for Alberta’s superior courts and input on Supreme Court selections, along with looser bilingualism rules for top court nominees.
- Smith’s letter warned Alberta would withhold provincial money for judges’ support staff unless Ottawa agrees to the changes, leveraging the province’s role in funding clerks, sheriffs and judicial assistants.
- Legal groups, including the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association and the Canadian Bar Association, said the threat could produce serious delays and stays of charges and undermines judicial independence.
- The dispute unfolds as a Supreme Court vacancy approaches with Justice Sheilah Martin retiring in May, after Ottawa recently filled two Alberta superior-court seats, and the Premier awaits a reply from Prime Minister Mark Carney.