You raise an interesting point, Mr. Dechert. If the challenge that's been presented by a Toronto criminal lawyer trying to block the ascendency of a Quebec lawyer/jurist were to succeed, this could have a very negative influence on how future talented lawyers would chart their career course. If they thought they would never be able to become a Supreme Court judge if they accepted an appointment at the Federal Court level, we would be depriving two courts of the greatest pool of talent.
I would suggest that what we are doing here is an attempt to keep the large talent pool open for the Supreme Court and also for the Federal Court. Federal Court jurists, both Court of Appeal and the Federal Court, currently draw on the talent available in the Quebec bar, currently have members who have practised law in the province of Quebec, and have successfully translated that into the Federal Court judicial system and brought with them the experience, knowledge, talent, and ability to understand and interpret the civil law.
Again, I say for emphasis, when you want the best minds, legal excellence, and merit to prevail, you want to draw it from the largest pool. I would suggest to you that the province of Quebec should be treated like every other province in that regard.
That's what this legislation ultimately attempts to do.