The three months of mediation between the Minister of Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, and the Chief Justice of the Court of Quebec, Lucie Rondeau, cost Quebec taxpayers more than $25,000.
In January, the minister and the judge retained the services of retired judge Jacques Chamberland to agree on the reorganization of the judges’ schedules. The two sides finally reached a compromise on Friday.
The salary of a facilitator like Judge Chamberland is “fixed, by regulation, at $300 an hour,” recalled Minister Jolin-Barrette on Tuesday during the study of the budgetary appropriations of his department.
“Honestly, I didn’t get Judge Chamberland’s bill, because we just settled the situation,” he added. He then clarified that the judge’s fees were $25,119, but that was a “preliminary figure.” The minister answered questions from MP Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, from Québec solidaire.
The dispute between the elected official and Judge Rondeau began when the latter decided to reduce, as of September 2023, the time that judges spend on the bench. As of September 2023, the 160 judges of the Court of Québec in the Criminal Division therefore sit only one day out of two, rather than two days out of three.
The Department of Justice estimated that under this ruling, as many as 50,000 criminal cases a year could exceed the 18-month Jordan timelines.
Efficiency gains
Mr. Jolin-Barrette has repeatedly welcomed the agreement reached with Judge Rondeau, “for the benefit of citizens”. This provides in particular for the addition of 14 judges to the Court of Quebec – which claimed 41.
The additions, argued the chosen one, “must result in efficiency gains”. To MP Cliche-Rivard who asked him whether he should not appoint 30 additional judges, the Minister replied that an increase in staff would not on its own solve the crisis of judicial delays.
“In 2013, there were 113,570 open cases, 128 judges and deadlines were shorter. In 2022-2023, there were 80,702 open cases, 146 judges – therefore 18 more judges – and the delays are staggering”, he illustrated.