The Minister of Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, defends the sums granted to his department in the recent budget, noting that they make it possible to accomplish his priorities and underlining that among all the provinces, Quebec arrives at the 2e rank of those who invest the most in justice per inhabitant.
The Minister thus wanted to react to the posture of the Barreau du Québec, which demanded that the justice budget be doubled to resolve the crisis that is raging in the judicial system.
The increase in the budget is 72 million, or 5.8% more than last year, according to figures from the ministry. “It allows us to fulfill our priorities,” assured the minister in an interview on Friday with The duty. Additional sums have thus been dedicated in the most recent budget plan, in particular to youth protection and prosecutors specializing in sexual violence.
“We always want the most money for justice, but the Quebec state does not have unlimited resources,” he replies to the Bar.
He compares Quebec investments in justice with those of other provinces: only British Columbia spends more than Quebec per capita, he says, based on figures compiled by his ministry: $157 per capita in Quebec, against $123 in Ontario, $113 in Alberta and $177 in British Columbia for the year 2021-2022. Moreover, the Minister points out, these sums have been constantly increasing for 5 years.
And while British Columbia spends more on justice, it also has a higher crime rate than Quebec, he argues.
But if the judicial system is in worse shape in Quebec than elsewhere, spending more than in other provinces is not necessarily a guarantee of success.
There are issues in all the provinces, he replies, without denying that the situation in Quebec presents “challenges. »
Regarding taxpayers who have to wait longer and longer for trial dates and cases postponed for lack of judges or clerks, he reminds us that the Minister of Justice does not decide everything. For example, the “unilateral decision” of the Chief Justice of the Court of Quebec, Lucie Rondeau, which reduced the time that her judges would spend sitting, “has the effect of extending delays. After legal proceedings on this subject, a mediation process is underway to settle this conflict.
On this subject, Minister Jolin-Barrette also added this: Quebec has a higher ratio of judges than Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.
But in addition to the judges, the courtrooms are blocked by the lack of judicial personnel, had noted the Bar and other actors in the system. Mr. Jolin-Barrette recalls that these employees received a 10% salary bonus last fall, and that his department is in the “reclassification process” to revise the different salary scales for court clerks, paralegals and assistant judges. . These staff are better paid in other institutions.
“We are very aware of the challenges of retention and attractiveness. »
In the meantime, “flying teams” of court clerks and even “virtual teams” are brought in when rooms are short-staffed, he says.
The budget tabled Tuesday indicates that a sum of 50 million dollars will be dedicated to measures to improve the efficiency of justice. The minister did not want to confirm on Friday whether this budget item included leeway to improve salaries.
His recently adopted Bill 8 should also solve the problems of delays according to him. By imposing mandatory mediation for small claims, and automatic arbitration, “it will free up judges. According to the Minister, measures aimed at simplifying the procedure in the Court of Québec should help cases get to trial more quickly.