It was almost three times as long because it was 63 days, so it was a much longer process. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that it was limited geographically and in a region that's very far from Ottawa. It's something we have to take into account.
The Supreme Court Act requires the justices on the Supreme Court of Canada to live in the national capital region. There are a lot of really distinguished members of the legal community in Canada for whom that is just not possible, either because they have family challenges or they just really do not want to leave their family and friends. I think it is important for us to understand the commitment. I don't think the judges think they are making a sacrifice, but they are certainly making a significant change in uprooting themselves.
I'm from Vancouver. Who wants to leave Vancouver? I say that, but we have friends from Edmonton, so Edmonton is pretty nice, too. The point is that it's a big deal. If you're that far away and the locus of your life is there, it's a more significant thing. I think that is discouraging, which is why I think having people learn more about life on the court.... They may still be discouraged, but they might find that perhaps it's not as worrisome as they think.
I think the western appointment one would assume you would have the maximum number of people who, for life reasons, would not want to apply, because it's the farthest region from the capital.