(Sherbrooke) The Minister of Justice resorted to an “exception” measure in order to fill a post of judge at the Court of Quebec in Sept-Îles, finally obtained by the lawyer from Longueuil Alexandre Germain, recognizes the first Minister Francois Legault. However, a similar procedure is currently underway in Val-d’Or, noted The Press.
The recent appointment of two judges by Simon Jolin-Barrette caught the eye on the first day of the convention of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ). In addition to the appointment of Judge Germain, the Prime Minister once again had to defend the decision of his Minister of Justice to appoint a longtime friend, Charles-Olivier Gosselin, for another position as judge of the Court of Quebec, this time in the capital.
Simon Jolin-Barrette persists and signs. “I assume my choice fully” and “all the rules have been respected”, he argued. “This is a high quality candidacy and the appointment was made on merit. And the relationship between him and me was not taken into consideration in making my recommendation. [au Conseil des ministres]. The choice I made respects the rules. »
The mystery hangs over the other appointment, that of a lawyer from Longueuil to the post of judge of the Court of Quebec in Sept-Îles, after the cancellation of an initial call for candidates to which several lawyers from the region had submitted their file.
François Legault admits that this is an “exceptional” measure, but ignores the reason why his minister did not appoint a judge after the tabling of the first report of the selection committee, on December 12, 2022. Simon Jolin-Barrette instead launched a second call for applications for the same position.
François Legault indicated on Saturday that he had not asked his minister for details on this particular case.
The Prime Minister nevertheless considers that it is “normal” for the minister to choose a candidate according to his requirements, even if it means disregarding the recommendations of the selection committee.
“It may be that, in this case, the proposal or proposals did not meet the requirements that the minister wanted. So he recommended to the committee that they do another round. »
Experienced players in the legal community consulted by The Press all said that it was indeed an extremely rare intervention.
Second round in Val-d’Or
However, Simon Jolin-Barrette recently canceled the first call for applications for another position as judge of the Court of Quebec, this time in Val-d’Or. In this case, the selection committee submitted its report and recommendations to the minister on January 17. As in the case of Sept-Îles, Mr. Jolin-Barrette decided not to proceed with the appointment.
He instead canceled the first call for applications to launch a second on February 8. The nomination process is still ongoing. The deadline to apply for this second round was March 24. The regulations stipulate that persons who have already applied when the first notice is published cannot submit their application again.
According to our information, the appointment to Sept-Îles of a candidate from outside the region is starting to cause concern in Val-d’Or.
“The process was followed”
Simon Jolin-Barrette did not want to explain his decision to cancel the first call for candidates in Sept-Îles. According to him, “the process was followed in every way”.
“There is a lot of information circulating in the media that is inaccurate. On the other hand, the report, the process is confidential, and I cannot comment further, ”pleaded the minister. He replied that he did not personally know Judge Alexandre Germain, from the Longueuil Bar.
The appointment of this lawyer from Longueuil is creating a stir in the Côte-Nord region.
The minister responsible for the North Shore, Kateri Champagne Jourdain, admits that she would have liked the appointment of a lawyer from the region. “Now the decision has ensured that it will be someone from the outside. We will win a family, we will win people, we also have a demographic issue at home. We will make sure to be welcoming, ”she explained on Saturday.
The MP for Duplessis, who lives in Sept-Îles, said she had a “good discussion” with Minister Jolin-Barrette and said she was “very reassured” by his explanations of the process.
“Not a hiding place”
Simon Jolin-Barrette also justified his decision to appoint his friend Charles-Olivier Gosselin as a judge in Quebec, pleading that “all the rules were respected”.
“I am fully aware that naming someone with whom I have ties was necessarily going to have a resonance. […] It is not a hiding place that everyone knew that I knew Judge Gosselin, “said the Minister.
François Legault, he did not know until Friday. Mr. Jolin-Barette believes – like Mr. Legault, moreover – that he did not have to inform the Council of Ministers of his long-standing friendship with Gosselin before appointing him as a judge.
Charles-Olivier Gosselin was “on the list of recommended candidates” in the report of the independent selection committee. The Minister assured that he did not know that Mr. Gosselin had applied for the position of judge before receiving the report.
Charles-Olivier Gosselin, 36, was called to the Bar in 2011. He began his career at the Center communautaire juridique de Québec, where he still practiced his profession. He notably defended the killer of the great mosque of Quebec.