SHERBROOKE | If it had to be done again, the Minister of Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, who is open to reviewing the procedure, would warn his colleagues before appointing one of his friends to the judiciary.
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“In the event that the same situation does arise, indeed, following the experience we have had, I would point it out,” admitted the CAQ MP from Borduas, on his arrival on the last day of his party’s congress, which was marked by the controversial appointment of one of his friends as a judge at the Court of Quebec.
Asked about this controversy at the end of the Coalition Avenir Québec convention, François Legault assured that he had not asked his minister to indicate that, if he had to do it again, he would do things differently.
It was not formalized either that Mr. Jolin-Barrette forced the resumption of at least five competitions aimed at filling a judge’s position, as was the case in Sept-Îles.
Mr. Legault stressed that he does not see the work of the Minister of Justice as being that which “stamps” the appointments that are advised to him without evaluating them in turn in the best interest of the justice system.
As soon as he arrived in Sherbrooke on Friday, Mr. Legault had to come to the defense of his Minister of Justice, the same thing on Saturday morning, when the national convention of the Coalition Avenir Québec opened.
Mr. Legault, however, admitted that it was in an article in the Sun that he learned that his Minister of Justice had just appointed a friend as a judge at the Court of Quebec.
Review the rules
In comparison, the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard, assured that in 2019, he had taken care to declare his bond of friendship before appointing “a personal friend” to the board of directors of Loto-Québec.
However, the process of appointing judges, which is very different, is never the subject of discussions in the Council of Ministers, insisted Mr. Jolin-Barrette, repeating all weekend that he respected the rules and that it was based on the recommendations of an independent selection committee, which can select up to three candidates.
Mr. Jolin-Barrette would however be in favor of a revision of the rules, so as to provide for the eventuality where a candidate has a bond of friendship with the Minister of Justice.
“I am open to amending the regulations to add a provision like this, to make things clearer,” he said.