I represent Alberta on this committee, let's say.
We have very few bilingual lawyers and even fewer bilingual jurists. When the executive director of the Fédération des associations de juristes d'expression française de common law, Mr. Remillard, was here on June 15, he told me there were 37 members of his association from Alberta. In a province with over 7,000 practising barristers and solicitors, that represents less than one-half of one percent of the practising bar who are members of his association. I appreciate that membership is not mandatory, even if one is bilingual; nonetheless, it's a very small fraction.
I hearken back to the words of Justice John Major, retired—just two sentences:
In a practical sense it is going to be very difficult to find judges from B.C. and Alberta who have had the same opportunity to be bilingual.
Those are very sage comments, Mr. Chair. Here at the Parliament of Canada, Parliament generously offers classes in bilingualism with one-on-one tutors. I've tried to avail myself of that. It's difficult to learn a second language in your adult years, as I'm sure you all know. It's also balanced by time constraints, especially for those of us with protracted travel schedules coming back and forth from our constituencies. It's difficult to learn a second language in your forties, I would submit.
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of the land. I respect Mr. Godin and I think his bill is well-intentioned. However, I think it fails to take into account that although Canada is a bilingual country, not all regions of our country are bilingual. I speak specifically of British Columbia and specifically of Saskatchewan and specifically of my province of Alberta. It is going to be difficult—not impossible, but difficult—to find a qualified and experienced jurist who meets the bilingual requirements of this bill. It would be most unfortunate if any region of this country were denied representation in the highest court of the land.
Parliament is as important, probably more important but certainly as important, as the Supreme Court of Canada. But there is no requirement, thankfully, that parliamentarians be bilingual. Parliamentarians can speak in any official language. In committee, in the House, and in the Senate we rely on the translation services. I will concede, Mr. Godin, that those translation services are imperfect from time to time, but they are functional. If they are functional and workable for the Parliament of Canada, certainly they are functional and workable for the Supreme Court of Canada—even more so in the Supreme Court, where written factums are filed. I appreciate that in real time, translation is difficult. But when a translator has time to rethink their words, as you can do if you're translating a written document, translation becomes close to perfect, if not perfect, when translating written documents such as factums and transcripts from lower court proceedings, which invariably need to be filed at the Supreme Court. Regardless, if unilingualism leaves one eligible for membership in Parliament and the Senate, I cannot subscribe to the idea that the Supreme Court should have a higher test.
I do not believe we should sacrifice competence for linguistic proficiency, and I'm afraid that is what would be the case—either that or that some regions, such as the region I represent, would be excluded from the Supreme Court.
On a lighter note, I think it's ironic that I myself, as a unilingual lawyer, would not be eligible for appointment to the Supreme Court, when there are so many more relevant reasons why I shouldn't be eligible for employment.