I want this to be clear. As Minister of Justice, do you think the commission's recommendations are nothing but recommendations and may be quashed by the government, regardless of the reason?
That is not my understanding of the Supreme Court decision in the context of the reference regarding the remuneration of provincial court justices in Prince Edward Island and the Judges Act, which was subsequently amended. It states clearly that the government must be willing to justify, before a court of justice, as needed, any decision to reject one or several recommendations provided in a report from the Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission.
So, these are more than simple recommendations.