Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Fraser, for your comments. I fully share your opinions. In fact, I had not noticed the contradiction you so clearly highlighted, i.e., that candidates must be bilingual to obtain some positions in the public service or to become a general in the army, but that those who sit on the Supreme Court do not have to meet the same requirement. Having highlighted that in such a simple and eloquent manner is very useful.
Some people will say that competency in the law, legal scholarship, and understanding of the role of the judiciary--all of the traditional factors one associates with judicial competence--should be the sole factors in determining a Supreme Court appointment. To introduce a linguistic competence or bilingualism requirement would lower the bar and give less-qualified individuals a chance to be appointed, whereas an allegedly more qualified or competent person who just doesn't have this bilingualism requirement would be blocked.
What is your answer to that? That's the knee-jerk reaction if we're appointing a judge. The judge from Atlantic Canada who replaced Mr. Justice Bastarache, Justice Cromwell, is a perfect example of a bilingual, highly qualified, competent jurist from Nova Scotia.
What do you say to that obvious criticism?