Overview
- The premiers of Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday seeking a formal role in choosing judges for their superior and appeal courts, following Alberta's solo push earlier this year.
- The four provinces propose that Ottawa pick judges from candidate pools recommended and approved by each province, with provinces gaining full access to information on all assessed applicants, which they say would improve transparency and reflect regional needs.
- Justice Minister Sean Fraser said Tuesday that selecting from provincially approved pools is not being considered and that the current process works, noting the federal government already seeks feedback from provinces and territories.
- Under the existing system, independent Judicial Advisory Committees review applicants and issue non-binding recommendations to Ottawa, with each seven-member committee including picks from the federal government, the province, the chief justice and two lawyers’ groups.
- Both sides signaled openness to talk, with the premiers saying they are ready to work with Ottawa and Fraser inviting discussions about concerns, leaving the issue set for negotiation rather than immediate change.