(Québec) Québec solidaire and the Liberal Party of Québec are calling on Simon Jolin-Barrette to stop “squabbling” with the Chief Justice of the Court of Québec, Lucie Rondeau, and to quickly reopen the dialogue to resolve the crisis that threatens the justice system.
“In a democratic society, access to justice is not a luxury, it is a right. Mr. Jolin-Barrette must stop bickering with other players in the justice system, ”launched the parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
“He is the minister. It must work with all the players in our justice system to find a solution. People have rights, ”recalled Mr. Nadeau-Dubois at the opening of the pre-sessional caucus of his training, which is held Wednesday in Quebec.
The Press reported Wednesday that the justice system is close to the “breaking point”: judicial delays are exploding and threaten to lead to thousands of judgments in the judicial process. The Minister of Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, says he is “concerned” and in “solution mode”. The controversial reform of the Chief Justice of the Court of Quebec, Lucie Rondeau, is at the heart of the concerns.
A reorganization imposed this fall despite the loud cries of the Legault government, is justified, among other things, by the complexity of the law and the need to write many decisions, particularly in matters of the Charter, insists the judiciary. Quebec is fighting in court to overturn this “unilateral” decision. He lost a first round in Superior Court; a reference to the Court of Appeal will be heard in 2023.
Relations are also extremely strained between the Chief Justice and Minister Jolin-Barrette.
“In my opinion, we always win by talking to each other,” said Liberal Justice spokesperson André A. Morin. “The situation is really worrying when we talk about a possible rupture. […] The open door, dialogue, is always better than waiting and creating conflicts,” he added.
Judge Rondeau’s reform provides, in particular, that the judges of the Court of Québec in criminal and penal matters now sit every other day (ratio 1/1), whereas they previously sat two days and deliberated on the third day (ratio 2 /1). To compensate for the net loss of 4,617 days of hearings per year, the chief judge demanded the addition of 41 judges, but Quebec flatly refused.
“I am open to giving additional resources, additional judges, but it has to translate into a gain in efficiency. We will not just add resources for the same result or there will not be a minute of extra court time for litigants. It is not acceptable, ”reiterated Minister Jolin-Barrette, on his arrival at the Council of Ministers on Wednesday.
Department of Justice projections obtained by The Press are alarming: 47,000 to 64,000 cases could exceed the Jordan caps in 2022-2023 due to the new ratio, without the addition of new judges.
“We are thinking, among other things, of the victims of criminal acts, of sexual assault… It is already difficult to denounce, difficult to go and testify in court as well. And these people experience stress that accumulates because of the deadlines, so I can understand that it’s excessively stressful,” laments Mr. Morin, who is the former chief federal prosecutor of the Public Prosecution Service of the Canada for the Quebec region.
“It is the Minister’s responsibility to reassure the population, it is his role. And therefore, to take all the necessary measures at its disposal to act and find a solution, ”he continued.
With Louis-Samuel Perron and Charles Lecavalier