The Bloc Québécois urges Ottawa to quickly fill the many vacant positions in the Quebec judiciary and to invest more in the judicial system. The Press revealed on Tuesday that Ottawa is slow to fill the ten vacancies of judges at the Superior Court of Quebec. A delay that causes “breaks in service” in the judicial system.
“Trust is indeed shaken in the justice system. We can’t help but have no confidence when we see our trials unduly postponed. Invest in the justice system. It is the backbone of a society and of the legal system. If we don’t do it, we will pay for one day, ”responded Bloc Québécois MP Rhéal Fortin, who is the party’s critic for justice, on Tuesday.
In an interview at The Press published on Tuesday, Superior Court Chief Justice Marie-Anne Paquette detailed that the delay in appointing judges had very real impacts on citizens, since many civil trials had to be postponed this fall. She also reported 29 “breaks in service” for this reason this fall. Also, a judicial district near Montreal was unable to hold hearings for a month this fall due to a lack of judges.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Chief Justice of the Superior Court, Marie-Anne Paquette
“When a trial is postponed like this one morning out of the blue, it’s not just an inconvenience, an inconvenience for the client who has waited for weeks, it’s a lot of money that is involved”, lamented the Bloc member.
In the office of federal Justice Minister David Lametti, it is argued that the judges will be appointed “in a timely manner”. “The Minister has appointed 10 judges to the Superior Court since the beginning of the year and aims to fill the vacant positions in the near future,” said Chantalle Aubertin, the Minister’s press attaché.
Mme Aubertin, however, gives no concrete explanation for the government’s inability to fill these vacant positions, vaguely citing the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the other hand, Ottawa maintains that there are in fact nine vacancies in the Superior Court, and not 12, as stated by Chief Justice Paquette in an interview. Minister Lametti’s office explains that this number nine is taken from public data compiled by the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs.
“I have no doubt that the issue is being taken seriously and that the necessary steps are being taken in Ottawa to resolve the situation and the problems that arise from it. The collaboration is excellent, but we must recognize that the situation is complex,” commented Chief Justice Paquette on Tuesday, who maintains that 12 positions are vacant.
Ottawa also does not seem to be in a hurry to assess the request for the creation of additional Superior Court positions. These nine new positions are necessary to “serve the population well”, according to the Chief Justice. In addition, the request has already been approved “in full” by Quebec.
“The request for new posts will be considered within the framework of the budgetary exercise”, replied the Lametti cabinet.