Thank you.
I think what we have here is a perception that there is a taking away of a right or representational right for persons from provinces, or for provinces themselves, to be represented on the Supreme Court of Canada.
I think it's important to say that the composition of the Supreme Court of Canada is wholly a discretionary and political operation. There is nothing in the law, not even to the status of a convention, that suggests, outside of Quebec, there should be certain members of the court from certain regions of the country. It's followed, but it's not always followed.
There is some consternation in some quarters when a certain province's time comes up and it is not picked. But even if it were the case that there was an expectation to be represented on the Supreme Court, we are talking about the collision of a provincial aspiration or personal ambition with an individual right. I firmly believe that there is nothing more important than the individual's right, before the highest court in the country, to know that his or her case will be heard and understood properly.
Now I also understand, and Mr. Petit makes the point very clearly, that it's not a perfect system and it excludes in some cases qualified candidates for even candidature for the highest court. But Mr. Lemay makes the good point that one can learn the language in the course of their legal career. Let's talk about the top nine jurists or legal people in the country. Surely they have the acumen to at least learn to understand the language. For a Supreme Court judge to be on the bench, it is not a case of proficiency in oral capability, but in understanding, which means to read and understand the language.
Finally I would say that the solution—and I've discussed this idea with Mr. Petit, Mr. Moore, the Minister of Justice, our own critic Mr. LeBlanc, and Mr. Godin—is this, and I want to put it down as a marker. The law lords of England have just been retired and made into the supreme court of the United Kingdom, with 12 members. There is a myth in Canada that because the Supreme Court of the United States consists of nine judges, we have to have nine and only nine judges and that they have to sit all at the same time on all questions. All of you know that in the courts of appeal across this country, which work pretty well, there are many more court of appeal judges than sit, in a bank of three or five, depending on the issue. And this works quite well. It's really something the government should look at as a policy, Mr. Moore—parliamentary secretary, highest-ranking official here.
That is my closing point.
Of course, I would like to congratulate Mr. Godin on his private member's bill. Dominic and I are very proud to be part of your family, the family of New Brunswickers fighting for linguistic equality across this country. We are on the same side in this battle, even though it's a different story when it comes to politics. In any case, congratulations.
Thank you.