That is the essence of the question here, Mr. Dechert. Thank you.
First, I agree with the interpretation of your former mentor and professor. What we want to do, I would suggest, as we would in any profession, is to have the broadest pool upon which to draw to get the best talent, the best jurists, the best legal minds, the best intellectual horsepower to serve on our highest court. To my mind, it would be ludicrous to exclude, in one province only, the expansive interpretation of that pool. It would not be giving Quebec the ability to compete on an equal footing in providing the best, the brightest, the most capable to serve in that capacity.
We know there are three positions reserved specifically for Quebec. They already hold a unique position when it comes to their inclusion. So why, in any world, would we want to limit, in some way, their ability to draw upon the best minds to serve in that capacity?
Keep in mind, we are talking about individuals who have not left the practice of law. If we are going to get specific, we're talking about an individual who served for 20 years as a practising member of the Barreau du Québec and then an additional 20 years as a jurist at the Federal Court. That includes the practice that very often touches upon the civil law, so they don't stop being Quebec practitioners by virtue of having joined the Federal Court. They continue to have reach into the practice of law, albeit as a jurist as opposed to an advocate.
What we're doing here is ensuring that Quebec is on an equal footing, and has equal ability to draw from the greatest pool of talent in the province when it comes to the Supreme Court of Canada.