I would say to you that I am acutely aware of the need to fulfill judicial vacancies. I would note for the record that in seven months in office I have appointed 74 judges thus far, and there are more to come in the immediate days to follow.
I think it's important, for comparison purposes, to reflect on the record of the previous government, which we replaced in 2015. The average number of appointments annually by that government was 65. By that metric, I'm working twice as fast as the previous government.
It's important to understand how delays occur in the criminal justice system and the civil justice system, but also who is responsible for the delays. The administration of justice in this country is, in the main, the purview of the provinces, and delays are also caused by a lack of courts and a lack of court staffing across provinces in this country.
You mentioned “confidence in the administration of justice”. I share your concern. It's entrenched in our charter, and it's a fundamental part of what I do. What I've seen fit to do is ensure that our JACs—our judicial appointments committees—have quorum and that they are able to do the work they are required to do in terms of nominating judges, such that they present recommendations to me.
Alternatively, what I have seen in provincial levels of government in terms of their own judicial appointments processes is stacking judicial appointments committees with staffers of the governing party. That relates to my province, not yours, but I think that actually undermines confidence in the administration of justice, because it injects partisanship in the appointments process. That's not what we need. We have ensured a non-partisan process that is robust and that helps us establish judges of the highest quality to represent the diversity of the country. I'll continue to appoint people of that nature.