Thank you, Madam Chair.
As you may have guessed, I add my voice to those of my Conservative colleagues to ask us to proceed with this study.
I was rereading the article that featured the letter from Justice Wagner on May 3. This is not exactly trivial; the Chief Justice of Canada wrote to the Prime Minister to tell him the situation is untenable. According to what I have in front of me, he said: “The government’s inertia regarding vacancies and the absence of satisfactory explanations for these delays are disconcerting.” That was back in May. At the time, I think 85 judicial positions needed to be filled. According to the numbers I just obtained, as of January 1 this year, there are still 79 positions open.
I also have a great deal of respect for Mr. Lametti. I think he did his best as Minister of Justice. I am not privy to government backrooms, so I am in a bad position to judge who is responsible for what, exactly. That said, from the point of view of the office I do hold, the only people who can be held accountable for this problem are the Minister of Justice and the Prime Minister.
As you know, I’ve been working on this file for many years. In 2020, I tabled a motion before this committee, asking it to proceed with the study of the process for appointing judges, to look into the issue and try to determine what the problem is. We did not do so, because my motion was voted down.
I admit, when I saw our Conservative colleagues’ request to have the committee look into the issue, I could not do anything but support it. I think they are right. I am sure, deep down, that my Liberal colleagues agree with us. As for knowing whether they will vote for the current motion, that’s a whole other matter. All kinds of considerations come into play.
I don’t know a single legal expert throughout Quebec who thinks that filling vacant judges’ positions within a reasonable timeframe is unimportant, and I’m sure it’s the same throughout the rest of Canada. We cannot do otherwise.
Trust in our courts, in our judges and in our justice system is essential, as Mr. Maloney said. I agree with him. We are responsible, in a certain sense, for maintaining that trust. I’m talking here not just about members of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, but about all parliamentarians.
Once again, I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Lametti. The goal isn’t to blame him. I have just as much respect for the honourable Justice Wagner, who is doing exceptional work at the Supreme Court of Canada. When I hear these two respectable men, for whom I have a great deal of respect, tell us there is a problem and it has to be solved, when I see Justice Wagner warning us the situation could degenerate and undermine the public’s trust in the judicial system, I think we can’t just sit on our hands and do nothing.
Does Prime Minister Trudeau have a good explanation for us? It’s possible, we will have to see. Our job is to ask him to explain to us why 79 positions were still vacant as of January 1, why only four or five positions were filled since the letter from Justice Wagner on May 3. I think we absolutely have to hear from witnesses on this issue to understand what is going on and, if necessary, sound the alarm at the Prime Minister’s Office that the situation must be resolved.
It is not true that everything is fine. Everyone can see the problem. I was listening to our colleagues describe the situation in courthouses. I can tell you it’s the same in Quebec. Some trials don’t happen, whereas the lack of judges, clerks or available rooms delay other trials or even simple inquiries. I understand that part of the administration of justice falls under provincial jurisdiction. However, the issue of appointing federal judges is part of federal parliamentarians’ work. We have to hold accountable those responsible for the justice system, meaning the Minister of Justice and the Prime Minister.
To that effect, I plan to support the motion from our Conservative colleagues.
I would go even further by moving an amendment to the section that reads, “four meeting study in order to assess the impact of the insufficient number of judges Canada has”. As well as “assess the impact”, I would add, “and study the nomination process in place and the reasons for delays”. It would be interesting to hear about the impact. I think we all suspect it’s very serious; we are not wrong about that. Beyond that impact, however, the process in place does not seem to be working. It’s been a recurring problem for years, so we must look into it. That’s the goal of the amendment I put forward.
I would also move a second amendment, so that we can hear from the Prime Minister as well. The current Minister of Justice is mentioned…