I'll just deal with your final question.
I'd be in favour of a legislative confirmation at the highest level, the Supreme Court. I might even be interested in it possibly for courts of appeal. I know that's anathema to a lot of the legal community, but I think those are such important positions, Mr. Thompson, that they should be reviewed, as they are in other countries, by a balanced legislative committee.
But for the trial judges—there are 50 or 60 of those appointments a year, and they're often, for many, first appointments—my experience is that you don't want a lot of exposure to those who are being considered for judicial appointment. If they don't get it, their careers can be badly hurt, their partners can be annoyed, and so on.
When I was chairing the provincial committee that was selecting trial judges, we went out of our way to be absolutely confidential about who had said they would be considered for a judicial appointment. We didn't want to ruin people's careers. We wanted to protect their good names.
That's what most of these positions are about. They're mostly first appointments for lawyers who are in practice. I think a U.S. Senate-style confirmation hearing would not be a good idea for that reason, sir.