SHERBROOKE | The Minister of Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, was “fully aware” that the appointment of a friend as judge, whose marriage he notably celebrated, would make waves and he assumes it “fully”.
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“Listen, I am fully aware that naming someone with whom I have ties was necessarily going to have a resonance because I never hid from the ties I have with Judge (Charles-Olivier) Gosselin declared Minister Jolin-Barrette, upon his arrival at the convention of the Coalition avenir Québec, which opened on Saturday in Sherbrooke.
“It’s not a hiding place […] everyone knew that I knew Judge Gosselin”, continued to defend himself the Minister of Justice, in front of the journalists.
The PM was unaware
How to explain then that Prime Minister François Legault learned about it in the newspapers?
“Indeed, the appointments are not debated in the Council of Ministers”, retorted Mr. Jolin-Barrette.
“All the rules have been respected,” repeated the Minister of Justice.
He then clarified that his connections were best known to “everyone at the Quebec courthouse” and in the Capitale-Nationale district.
“I know several people, I’ve been working in the legal community for 15 years, so [parmi] all the candidates who submit their candidacy, it is probable and possible that I know people”, observed the member for Borduas.
In this context, the Minister of Justice does not see why he should “prevent” everyone he knows from becoming a magistrate.
An appointment “on merit”
Asked whether he recognizes an appearance of conflict of interest, Mr. Jolin-Barrette pointed out that all the members of the independent selection committee considered that Mr. Gosselin was a competent jurist and that he was ready to assume the judge functions.
“He is a candidate of high quality, and the appointment was made on merit, regardless of the relationship between him and me was not taken into consideration to make my recommendation,” assured Mr. Jolin-Barrette. .
During a press briefing, the chief caquist François Legault also repeated that all the procedures had been respected. He does not think it necessary to see them again.
“Remember Mr.me Post It. Remember the ways of doing things that there were in certain governments before us, it was the friends of the party who were chosen, we are an independent committee.